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Baykal’s resignation aftermath. Kılıçdaroğlu rising. A roundup.

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Turkish politics in general

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Sex, Baykal, and Videotape

from The White Path

[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News] I am not really very curious about what other people do in their bedrooms. But the recent sex scandal that shook Deniz Baykal, the opposition leader, is too political to dismiss. In case you haven’t heard the news, here is the brief story: Last Thursday, an Islamist website ran the footage of a hidden camera showing Mr. Baykal with a female deputy of his party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP. The setting was a private house, and the scenes were much too private for these two people, which are both married to other people. As you can imagine, the “Baykal affair” hit the headlines instantly. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an ordered an instant ban on the scenes, but they were already all over. What was disturbing was not just the “A” word (a.k.a. adultery), but the fact that Baykal had made her lady friend, Nesrin Baytok, a member of the Parliament in 2002, and that her husband got sweet contracts from CHP municipalities.

Hürriyet’s online survey results. CHP voters want Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu:

Conspiracy

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Turkish Pre by TAHA AKYOL – MİLLİYET
Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal has never been involved in a scandal. He was leading a happy life with his wife and grandchildren.

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Deniz Baykal gives in to the concentrated attack

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Turkeys main opposition Republican Peoples ...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Bihlun Tamayligil and Savci Sayan (R) cry as their leader Deniz Baykal (not pictured) addresses the media in Ankara May 10, 2010. Baykal resigned on Monday saying he was the victim of a conspiracy following the release of a videotape on the Internet purporting to show him and a woman in a bedroom. Baykal said the ruling party – the AK Party, whose roots lie in political Islam – must have had knowledge of the videotape.? Read more »REUTERS/Stringe

Deniz Baykal seems to have accused AKP, the ruling party, when he resigned but a simple observation of the process shows that he was dethroned by his own “side”… On Thursday a videotape emerged at Vakit‘s website. Although Vakit is an Islamist newspaper and framed the news accordingly, other Islamist dailies were quick to accuse Vakit of being manipulated. In the next day, not the Islamist newspapers such as Yeni Şafak, Zaman or anti-secularist and militantly liberal Taraf but the mainstream secularist dailies such as Vatan headlined the videotape issue. On the same day, CHP administration accused Mustafa Sarıgül who seems to be the main opponent to Baykal’s regime within CHP circles (although Mr. Sarıgül has been expelled from the party). In the next days, many pro-CHP columnists attacked Baykal and implied the veracity of the tape. Apparently, it was time to go for Baykal and in a way betrayed by his own men in an orchestrated campaign…

The leader of Turkeys main opposition Republican ...
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deniz Baykal (C) is surrounded by his supporters as he leaves the party headquarters in Ankara May 10, 2010.REUTERS/Stringer

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When CHP encounters EU…

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Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis (L) introduces ...

Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis (L) introduces Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins to Turkey’s delegation members in Riga February 26, 2010.REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

Here are a few accounts of what Onur Öymen, deputy chairman of a social democrat party, CHP,  experienced at EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting…

MEHMET KAMIŞ – CHP to face trouble when it goes abroad

As the deputy chairman of a social democrat party, Onur Öymen is trying to find support from Europe for the minority status quo in Turkey. According to reports in the press, Öymen spoke at the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting the other day.

Oymen at the European Parliament

from Turkish Politics in Action by Ragan Updegraff

EU Parliament Turkey Rapporteur Ria Oomen-Ruitjen
PHOTO from Today’s Zaman

CHP deputy chairman Onur Oymen, speaking to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee at the European Parliament this week, criticized European politicians for only reading one newspaper, namely Today’s Zaman (though the paper was not mentioned by name). The pro-government/moderate Islamist-oriented daily reports:

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HSYK coup today.

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The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors of Turkey (HSYK) had just ripped of a key special Prosecutor’s judicial authority who decreed the arrest of a Prosecutor related to Ergenekon case. HSYK had been effective in obstructing judicial investigations against the military tutelage.

Venice Commission secretary slams HSYK, urges judicial reform

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As "Cagers" caged…

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A new leaked document claims that “Operation Cage” by the Ergenekon gang planned assassinations on non-Muslim Turkish citizens to provoke and contain AKP rule…

Ministry announces number of people tapped
Hurriyet Daily News- The ministry had earlier said that within the last five years, 69 judicial officers were tapped ? 56 of them related to the Ergenekon case

Third letter from military source raises tensions in Turkey (SETimes.com)

Turkey probes fresh allegations of anti-govt plot
Reuters
They say these conspirators belong to a shadowy, nationalist group dubbed the “Ergenekon” network. A judge suspended until Monday a hearing in the

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of CHP backed down and gave support to Onur Öylem who had explicity supported the Dersim Massacre of Alevite citizens. Two those who claim him to be the “Gandhi of Turkey”: Gandhi my ass.

A documentary on Dersim Massacre (In Turkish)

In order to create a Turkish nation from above, Turkish nationalists waged a campaign against non-Turkish and non-Muslim elements of the empire.The First World War served as an excuse for the Young Turks, then the Turkish goverment, to exterminate Armenians. It was a deliberate and sustain war, in the course of which hundreds of thousands Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks had been ruthlessly killed or forced into exile.The collapse of the Ottomans had left a power vacuum, filled by another section of the Turkish nationalists, called Kemalists at a later time.In 1937-38, i.e., at a time when world attention was focused on the Second World War, the Turkish nationalists commited another genocide. This time the victims were Dersimis, who are also known as Kızılbash or Alevis. Approximately 40.000-70.000 of them were killed and thousands were taken into exile. The Dersim Genocide of 1937-1938 was on one hand a continuation of the Kızılbash extermination of the Ottoman times and also an extermination of an ethnically distinct and separate people from Turks.

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Pro-Ergenekon lawyers' support march in Taksim…

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A nation’s lawyers: Pro-establishment. Tools of power plays. Is there any hope that they will actually work for justice? To overthrow the corrupt Establishment?
Avukatlar dinleme için yürüdü
Yesterday many lawyers had a march in Taksim to protest “phonetappings”. In principle, this sounds like a good move. To protect the privacy rights… All bullshit. They did not walk before when current PM was tapped for 6 years! Illegally! Now at least phonetapping cases are legally registered. In such a complicated case like Ergenekon, to tap phones through legal channels may not be that harmful. What they are afraid of is that many legal personalities were indeed part of the Ergenekon gang and now they are scared. Yes, you should be scared. You, pro-military “lawyers”….

Avukatlar dinleme için yürüdü

Young civilians protested the march and some lawyers did try to lynch the protesters. Any surprise?

Young civilians protest: “You, pro-coup Bar, welcome to Taksim” banner was attacked by lawyers…

How Turkey massacred the Kurds of Dersim

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Step by step, Kurdish initiative continues….

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We were expecting more fist-fighting in the parliament meeting on Friday but relatively civilized quarrels dominated Friday’s meeting. Main opposition CHP is gone all crazy- literally indeed- and their reaction is ridiculous and beyond reason. Their childlike reaction and nearly criminal discourse (one higher official of CHP explicity stated that the best solution is what the State did during Dersim Rebellion, that is outright massacre…) have to be contained. I believe that AKP, DTP and a few liberals with possible indirect support from MHP can further the Initiative. Yes, MHP, nationalist party, does in fact acted quite civilized yesterday and despite their harsh criticism on the Kurdish Initiative their love of and support for the State may turn out to be a positive sign in this case. Because they wery well realized that this initiative may help unite the nation again. Armed suppression did not work as the the three decades had demonstrated…

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) ...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal addresses members of parliament as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) and his Education Minister Nimet Cubukcu listen in the background during a debate at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, November 13, 2009. Turkey’s parliament is set to discuss on Friday reforms designed to boost the rights of the country’s Kurdish minority and end a 25-year separatist conflict, moves seen boosting its European Union membership ambitions.REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkey unveils reforms for Kurds

from BBC News
The Turkish government announces plans to expand the rights of Kurds, who for years have alleged discrimination.

 

A full list of reforms in Turkish here.

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Turkish opposition is a major obstacle for further democratization

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Yesterday, main opposition MEPs made a scene in the Parliament, of course supported by MHP second biggest opposition party which led to scuffles while debates on the Kurdish Initiative continued. It is unfortunate that these two opposition parties can and may actually stop the process….

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) ...

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MPs hold banners during a debate at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara November 10, 2009. Turkey’s parliament is set to discuss on Tuesday reforms designed to boost the rights of the country’s Kurdish minority and end a 25-year separatist conflict — moves seen boosting its European Union membership ambitions. Banners are all about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of Turkey from 1923 and founder of the modern secular state, who died on November 10, 1938 when he was 57.REUTERS/Umit Bektas

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