Freedom House 2018 Report declares Turkey as Not Free for the first time as nationalist bloc intensifies…

Status Change Explanation: Turkey’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free, its political rights rating declined from 4 to 5, and its civil liberties rating declines from 5 to 6 due to a deeply flawed constitutional referendum that centralized power in the presidency, the mass replacement of elected mayors with government appointees, arbitrary prosecutions … Read more

Turkish FP news 1- Germany leaves Incirlik Base… US resolution over Washington brawl….

Germany to Withdraw Forces From Incirlik Base in Turkey NYT > Turkey by By ALISON SMALE The Turkish government refused to guarantee that German lawmakers could visit troops at the facility, deepening a rift between the NATO allies. US resolution over Washington brawl is against spirit of alliance: Turkish Foreign Ministry The Foreign Ministry has said a … Read more

#Referendum2017 Results are marred by substantive allegations….

I was very upset with the November 1, 2015 election results when AKP had a landslide victory. However, that’s what voters chose and in the last analysis I am fine with that. It is part of the democratic system we have to live with that. As long as there are legitimate elections, we can always … Read more

While Reza Zarrab approaches pro-Trump persons for his legal team, another significant arrest happened: “Halkbank Deputy General Manager Arrested in US

Turk in Sanctions Case Adds Rudolph W. Giuliani to Legal Team NYT > Turkey by By BENJAMIN WEISER and MAGGIE HABERMAN The former mayor is close to President Trump, raising the question of whether he was retained to help resolve Reza Zarrab’s case with the Trump administration. Halkbank Deputy General Manager Arrested in US  Bianet :: English … Read more

#TurkeyReferendum A nay-sayer video producer says if the video gets viral, he will probably be arrested and as it gets viral, he is arrested…

Here is the video: There are strong implications, but they are still implications…. A young citizen, Ali Gül, says at the end of the video what he expects and that happens… ************* Erdogan’s Turkey: The Absurd Trial of Journalist Ahmet Sik – SPIEGEL ONLINE – International DER SPIEGEL – Spiegel Online – Mar 3, 4:50 … Read more

“Turkey backers” response to “Europe”: flooding social media with Nazi symbols…

  ‘Turkey backers’ target Amnesty, BBC and other major Twitter accounts  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Hackers tweeted “Nazi Germany, Nazi Holland” from several official accounts in Turkish. Twitter accounts tweet swastikas and pro-Erdoğan support in massive hack  World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Alex Hern Accounts that use third-party analytics service Twitter Counter compromised … Read more

Life is hard. “Erdoğan brands Dutch government ‘Nazi remnants and fascists’ – video…

Turkey referendum: Dutch are Nazi remnants – Erdogan  BBC News | Europe | World Edition Turkey’s president brands the Dutch “Nazi remnants” as a row grows over a cancelled Rotterdam rally. Erdoğan brands Dutch government ‘Nazi remnants and fascists’ – video World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Guardian Staff Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan brands the Netherlands “Nazi … Read more

Turkish justice at work: “Professor İştar Gözaydın Arrested”

Professor İştar Gözaydın Arrested Bianet :: English   Professor İştar Gözaydın has been arrested on the 8th day of her being detained as part of the “FETÖ/PDY Investigation” launched into Gediz University from which she was suspended. In other upsetting news: Vice PM Kurtulmuş: Some Fellows in Media Shall Mind Their Steps  Bianet :: English   Vice … Read more

Turkey’s brain drain: Purges and fear are driving Turkish scholars out of the country

By William Armstrong The new academic year opened under dark clouds for many scholars in Turkey. The crackdown in the aftermath of July’s attempted military coup has worsened the sense of suffocation. The country now faces the real danger of a “brain drain” as many educated citizens look for a route out. Over 5,300 academics have … Read more

Freedom of Expression in Turkey represented in a photo here:

Arzu Geybulla took this photo at a bookstore: “Author of books in row 5,6,7 and 11,12 is currently behind bars in #Turkey “  ‘Ahmet Altan is one of Turkey’s most important writers, whose novels appear in translation and sell in the millions.’ Photograph: web Turkey has detained a prominent novelist. We unite to say this vendetta … Read more

More than 11K teachers fired, 28 HDP municipalities to be seized, Altan Brothers arrested without no substantive judiciary process…

More than 11,000 teachers suspended over PKK links More than 11,000 teachers have been suspended over suspected links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkey’s Education Ministry announced on Sept. 8 Turkey Uses Post-Coup Emergency Decree to Purge Mayors and Teachers NYT > Turkey by By CEYLAN YEGINSU The government said it would take over the … Read more

Strange days. “DW interview with Turkish youth minister seized” but ministry refutes…

DW interview with Turkish youth minister seized by ministry The record of an interview with Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç that was slated to be published for a program on Deutsche Welle (DW) has been seized by ministry officials after the interview was completed Turkish Sports Ministry refutes claims on seizure of DW interview … Read more

Meanwhile in the EU front; “Turkey will accept end-of-2016 delay in EU visa liberalisatio

Turkey will accept end-of-2016 delay in EU visa liberalisation  EurActiv.com by Georgi Gotev Turkey is now willing to accept the liberalisation of travel visa rules with the European Union by the end of the year instead of October, as previously targeted, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag wrote yesterday (4 September), citing senior Turkish government sources. … Read more

August was another month of tragedy for journalists and also LGBTQ+ Community in Turkey…

Stop the press: Turkey’s crackdown on its media goes into overdrive theguardian.com – Constanze Letsch – Aug 28, 10:00 PM Since the attempted coup, the government has ordered more than a hundred outlets to close and arrested 48 journalists More journalists detained in operation against Gülen  Hurriyet Daily News Detention warrants have been issued for a … Read more

A WSJ article on Purge claims in Turkish universities… A Black Sea village, learned of coup attempt 10 days later due to lack of power, to be the most tranquil community in Turkey…

After Failed Coup, Turkey’s Erdogan Is Purging Universities of Potential Enemies wsj.com – Joe Parkinson – Aug 24, 8:46 AM KONYA, Turkey—On the humid afternoon after July’s bloody coup attempt, signs of a rift that is redefining this nation’s academia played out in two cities 400 miles apart. In Istanbul, Nil Mutluer grabbed her 3-year-old … Read more