Country Report on Terrorism 2014 – Turkey June, 2015 Overview: Largely because of the ongoing conflict in Syria, Turkey has voiced increasing concern about terrorist groups near its border, including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), al-Nusrah Front, and other al-Qa’ida (AQ)-affiliated groups. Throughout 2014, Turkey served as a source and transit country for … Read more
236 acquitted in Balyoz coup case All 236 suspects in the ‘Balyoz’ coup plot case were acquitted March 31 after the case’s prosecutor argued that digital data submitted as evidence was ‘fake’ Turkish army denounces ‘illegal copying’ of state secrets The Turkish General Staff has filed a criminal complaint over the permitting of top secret information … Read more
An EU-Turkey Reset Project Syndicate by Martti Ahtisaari, et al. Never have the European Union and Turkey needed one another more, and yet rarely have they been so distant. The EU should redouble its efforts to revitalize the relationship, strengthening both its criticism of Turkey’s democratic backsliding and the credibility of the accession process. Turkey and EU … Read more
Tsipras was in public today, talking to ordinary citizens… Erdoğan gets angry when he sees citizens walking and smoking. He wants standing in silence (!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2A-BEwM5n8 Turkish officials mark WWI Gallipoli victory Turkish officials have marked the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Victory, the battle that marked a turnaround against the Allied Forces in favor … Read more
BIA MEDIA MONITORING 2014: Media’s 3 Years: A Summary With Graphics Bianet :: English According to BIA Media Monitoring Report 2014, 22 journalists and 10 distributors entered the year of 2015 in prison. While the number of jailed journalists took a dive, the number of detentions, censorship and layoffs soared. Here is what happened in terms … Read more
Amnesty Turkey campaign at Change.org Turkey: The last exit before the police state A cartoon guide to Turkey’s nosedive in human rights. In other news: European Court of Human Rights fines Turkey over length of investigation The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has fined Turkey for violating Article 3 of the European Convention on Human … Read more
This is in reaction to Mashable headline linked below. The Mashable author is surprised that Erdoğan was critical of violence against women but when you deconstruct his arguments, one can see that he is one of the most vocal critic of modern women rights. Erdoğan was critical of rape and murder of Özgecan Aslan but during the same period … Read more
Turkey’s media watchdog fines TV station for using ‘God’ instead of ‘Allah’ Turkey’s media watchdog has issued a formal warning to a private station over the use of the word ‘God’ on a French TV show Turkey-EU parliamentary meeting delayed a month amid cool relations A planned joint parliamentary meeting between Turkey and EU representatives was postponed … Read more
Conscientious Objector Receives 15 Months of Prison Bianet :: English Mehmet Tarhan, a conscientious objector from Turkey, received 15 months of prison and 9,000 liras fine despite related ECHR rulings. Advocates Protest Homeland Security Act With Night-Watch Bianet :: English Advocates affiliated with Istanbul Bar Association held a night-long “justice watch” in Istanbul Courthouse against Turkey’s homeland … Read more
10 Reasons Why Millennials Follow Brands on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest All Facebook by Shea Bennett A new study has identified ten distinct reasons why millennial social media users follower brands on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. And the top reason varies from platform to platform. Youtube ditches Flash, but it hardly matters Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow … Read more
Infographic: Turkey’s human rights record in ECHR rulings Turkey still heads the notorious list of countries sued or convicted at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), but the number of applications against Ankara has recently been falling. AKP eyes elections results to push for new Constitution The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is making calculations … Read more
Zuckerberg’s free-speech rhetoric proves empty as Facebook censors Charlie … International Business Times UK “In comparison with Twitter and YouTube, Facebook cooperates with the Turkish authorities much better,” Yaman Akdeniz, a professor in cyberlaw at Bilgi University in Istambul, told the New York Times. “Therefore it’s not surprising that Facebook . Facebook Caves to Turkish Government … Read more
Qatar announces support to Cairo, marking split with Turkey Hurriyet Daily News Qatar has announced its determination to thaw ties with Egypt, diverging from an agreement with Turkey, only few days after renewing commitments to close relations with Ankara Brave New Turkey NYT > Turkey by By ANDREW FINKEL Why is the government going off the rails … Read more
Turkish deputy PM objects to arrest of media bosses Hurriyet Daily News Deputy PM Arınç has opposed the detention of two media chiefs who were taken into custody during controversial weekend raids on journalists and television staff linked to Gülen Turkey appeals ECHR ruling on compulsory religion classes in schools Hurriyet Daily News Turkey has appealed … Read more
Turkey falls behind in global corruption index Turkey slumps alarmingly in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index Turkey’s Growing Corruption Problem Is Getting Harder to Hide Global Voices Online by Ece Basay Money in a shoebox. Viral image. In the last twelve months, the Turkish state has appeared significantly more corrupt. That is the underlying message of … Read more