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

“Hagia Sophia, Topkapı again Turkey’s top tourist attractions While “Istanbul’s Fatih Municipality seizes more authority in construction on historic peninsula… İstanbul news roundup…

Project for 10-meter-wide pedestrian lane begins in the Bosphorus The construction of a 10-meter wide public road project, which is set to include separate lanes for pedestrians, runners and cyclists, has begun on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus. Istanbul’s Fatih Municipality seizes more authority in construction on historic peninsula Hurriyet Daily News Istanbul’s historic peninsula … Read more

When it rains, Istanbul flooded… Istanbul today:

    VIDEO: Heavy rain fills Istanbul’s central Taksim tunnel, floods Üsküdar Heavy rain in Istanbul affected sites on the European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul, filling a newly built tunnel in Taksim and flooding Üsküdar district. Bar Refaeli Cancels Istanbul Gig Due to anti-Israel Pressure Haaretz The organizer of an Istanbul fashion show that was … Read more

Anger at Soldier funerals turning not only to PKK but to AKP representatives… And a social fabric roundup…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC4qykk-NpQ This is one a few other protest that occurred recently…. ************* Pro-gov’t businessman censors own remarks on ‘Erdoğan love’ A pro-AKP media tycoon has succeeded in his unusual lawsuit, with a court ruling to block reports on 50 news websites quoting his reflections on the ‘divine love’ between himself and President Erdoğan The long and arduous journey … Read more

Cyberculture agenda: Parents are comin’ Pew research shows parents mostly on Facebook and Pinterest…

Reddit’s new ‘no copyrighted material’ rule could technically kill /r/pics and others The Next Web by Mic Wright Most of the fevered talk about Reddit’s new content rules has focused on its half-hearted burying of offensive material. Fair Use App: a guide to fair use for online video creators  Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow Art from New Media Rights … Read more

Cyberculture agenda: Hacking Team revelations continue…

The Hackingteam Archives WikiLeaks – If you have any issues talk to WikiLeaks. We are the global experts in source protection – it is a complex field. Even those who mean well often do not have the experience or expertise to advise properly. This includes other media… The FBI Spent $775K on Hacking Team’s Spy Tools … Read more

Orhan Pamuk raises his harshest critique against AKP while high schools students arrested for insulting Erdoğan, Advocates Protest Homeland Security Reforms…

Pamuk: ‘Authoritarian and Islamist government’ replaced soldiers in Turkey Hurriyet Daily News The AKP is ‘destroying the balance of powers’ and ‘authoritarian soldiers were (pushed) out, (an) authoritarian and Islamist government took their place,’ Nobel laureate Pamuk says Turkey’s premier author anxiously observes his changing home The Times of Israel Turkish Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk … Read more

Literati roundup: R.I.P. Ulrich Beck…. “Smithsonian galleries release massive Asian art collection online for non-commercial use…

Ulrich Beck – an appreciation open Democracy News Analysis – by Robin Wilson   openSecurity editor Robin Wilson reflects on the work of German intellectual – and frequent openDemocracy contributor – Ulrich Beck, who sadly passed away on 1 January. Ulrich Beck (1944-2015). Wikimedia commons. Public domain. Huge trove of Smithsonian art digitized; over 40,000 works  kottke.org by Jason … Read more

New democratic networks emerge [in French, Erkan quoted too] as “Turkish novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak accused of being Western stooges by pro-government press…

Turquie : les nouveaux réseaux démocratiques1   Un an et demi après la contestation de Gezi, où en est la démocratie en Turquie ? Et pour quelles nouvelles formes de mobilisations ? Journalisme citoyen, tweets et sites, mais aussi squatt-maison de quartier, face à un État de plus en plus autoritaire. Enquête multimédia interactive d’Eric … Read more