As European Commission urges ‘different type of relations’ with Turkey, “Ankara prosecutors launch probe into ex-French diplomat for ‘inciting’ Erdoğan’s assassination…

Commission urges ‘different type of relations’ with Turkey EurActiv.com by Georgi Gotev The European Union executive urged EU governments yesterday (24 April) to consider changing its relationship with Turkey after a referendum that handed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sweeping powers put Ankara’s stalled membership talks deeper into cold storage. PACE reopens monitoring process against Turkey The Parliamentary … Read more

EU Commission says Turkey should investigate referendum vote ‘irregularities in #TurkeyReferendum But Erdoğan tells election observers to ‘know their place’…

Turkey should investigate referendum vote ‘irregularities’, says EU commission  World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Daniel Boffey in Brussels President’s spokesman calls on authorities to launch transparent inquiry after observers raised doubts about poll result The EU has called on the civil authorities in Turkey to launch a transparent investigation into the referendum result granting the … Read more

From Turkey with Love: Ankara mayor believes Foreign powers performing ‘earthquake tests’ near Istanbul to destroy Turkish economy…

Foreign powers performing ‘earthquake tests’ near Istanbul to destroy economy: Ankara mayor   Recent earthquakes in the western province of Çanakkale could have been organized by dark external powers aiming to destroy Turkey’s economy with an “artificial earthquake” near Istanbul, Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek has claimed.   Turkey’s religious affairs directorate criticizes matchmaking TV shows   Turkey’s … Read more

A nation of informants: “Turkey pays TL 2.4 million in rewards to citizen-informants in 2016”

Turkey pays TL 2.4 million in rewards to citizen-informants in 2016 || http://turkeypurge.com/mukhtar-bans-gulenists-from-neighborhood-sets-up-247-informant-hotline …   ************ Turkish Central Bank keeps rates unchanged in unexpected move Hurriyet Daily News   Turkey’s Central Bank unexpectedly maintained interest rates on Dec. 20, noting that the aggregate demand developments had restrained negative foreign exchange movements. Gov’t-led charter changes bring constitutional dictatorship: CHP … Read more

As Turkey continues to arrest Kurdish politicians, new Freedom of Expression Violation Verdicts by ECHR…

Two Freedom of Expression Violation Verdicts by ECHR  Bianet :: English The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that charges pressed against Günlük Evrensel newspaper writers Ahmet Sami Belek and Savaş Velioğlu, and Müdür Duman from HADEP are violation of freedom of expression and condemned Turkey to indemnity. ECHR fines Turkey over conviction of journalists … Read more

Kurdish news agency #DİHA in Diyarbakır raided by Turkish security forces, 10s detained; Turkey recruits more militias against Kurdish guerillas…

A video from the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qi4B5Wk3ok A list of detained DIHA employees: DIHA agency website currently blocked in Turkey: http://www.diclehaber.com/en   Ongoing censorship blocks Kurdish, critical, data-based media … Today’s Zaman–Aug 16, 2015 The majority of sites that have been blocked are Kurdish media outlets, including ANF, ANHA, the Dicle News Agency (DİHA), Rojnews and … Almost … Read more

A maths teacher @ekolhoca uses @Periscopeco for educational purposes and already covered in the Independent…

Ekol Hoca, from Izmir in Turkey, is not an ordinary maths teacher. Every day he’s at the whiteboard by 5.30am, ready to instruct more than 1,000 students via the livestreaming app Periscope – and he doesn’t even get paid for it. Continue to read here ********* Housing, food and transport total over half of household spending … Read more

While escalation of violence continues, State of Turkish Judiciary: the Prosecutor, hero of coup cases, flees to Georgia to escape arrest…

Turkish prosecutor of corruption, coup cases flee to Georgia over ‘coup attempt’ arrest warrant A controversial prosecutor who led probes into alleged coup attempts has fled to Georgia with a colleague after an arrest warrant has been issued on both judiciary figures for attempting to overthrow the Turkish government with the corruption investigations of 2013. Turkish … Read more

Digital diplomacy (!) Davutoğlu follows CHP leader on Twitter… Politics roundup..

Davutoğlu follows CHP leader on Twitter Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has begun following Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Twitter, just a day before he was set to hold a new meeting with him as part of efforts aimed at forming a coalition government. PKK leader says Turkey protecting IS  BBC News | Europe | … Read more

In sum: Killing the leftist militant; Gentle with the ISIS suspect…

Senior ISIL leader detained in Istanbul operations A senior Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader based in Istanbul was among those detained in a series of sweeping police operations, according to Anadolu Agency One killed, over 290 detained as Turkish police raid suspected ISIL, PKK militants Backed up by helicopters, thousands of police officers … Read more

Embarrassingly failing in intelligence, AKP leadership blames Kurdish opposition, A prominent journalist fired…

Turkish journalist sacked over critical Erdoğan tweet on Suruç bombing A prominent Turkish journalist has been sacked over a social media post on the grounds that he anonymously criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the July 20 Suruç bombing Journalist Dismissed from Milliyet Daily Newspaper Bianet :: English Milliyet Daily dismissed journalist Kadri Gürsel for his … Read more

Persona non Grata, A documentary (with English subtitles) on the story of Turkey’s journalists today… EFD Rights Watch….

A new documentary: Persona non Grata Produced by P24, directed by Tuluhan Tekelioglu, Persona non Grata tells the story of Turkey’s journalists today—watch it here… The first public screening of Punto24’s new documentary was held at the Swedish Consulate in Istanbul to mark the World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, 2015. This is not … Read more

Council of Europe says Turkey Didn’t Implement 1,241 ECHR Rulings As 58 notable citizens probed for criticizing Anadolu Agency on Twitter

58 probed for criticizing Anadolu Agency Hurriyet Daily News A probe has been launched into 58 well-known figures on the grounds that they criticized the state-run Anadolu Agency on Twitter Democracy at Risk: IPI Special Report on Turkey, 2015 ACTURCA International Press Institute (IPI) March 2015 Steven M. Ellis * Turkish authorities’ failure to safeguard – and, … Read more

Amnesty International: “Draconian reforms give police wide-ranging powers to repress dissent

Turkey: Draconian reforms give police wide-ranging powers to repress dissent Amnesty International – Mar 27, 3:53 PM – Photo: Riot police confront a protester at Istiklal street near Taksim square in Istanbul, on 15 June 2013. © OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images A range of security reforms in a bill passed by Turkey’s Parliament today will give … Read more

EFD Rights Watch: Journalists’ Twitter messages blocked.. Eren Keskin sentenced…

A Turkish court decides to block hundreds of specific messages mostly written by journalists. Here is the news in Turkish and here is the court decision.   Eren Keskin Sentenced to 10 Months Due to Article 301  Bianet :: English Human rights advocate Eren Keskin was sentenced to 10 months of prison due to Article 301, a … Read more