“Journalists wanted for international news agency,” read the Guardian job ad. As an editor in an industry where opportunities seem to be fading away by the day, you apply for pretty much any full-time job you see. A couple of months later, we arrived in Ankara, Turkey, ready to “write history” as the first international journalists to be welcomed [...] → Read the full article…
By Semih Idiz With Ankara acting as one of the principal cheerleaders for a military strike against Syria, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing Turkey’s participation in any military coalition, increasingly concerned Turks, unaware of what exactly the Turkish contribution will be, are bracing themselves for all possible consequences from a US-led operation against the Syrian regime. Damascus’ chilling [...] → Read the full article…
Erdogan’s Islamist government accused of exploiting religious divisions in Antakya, long renowned for its ethnic diversity By Constanze Letsche – ANTAKYA Nearly a quarter of the 2 million people who have fled the crisis in Syria – some 460,000 – have made their way into Turkey, the UN high commission for refugees announcedon Tuesday. While many find themselves at the [...] → Read the full article…
By Yavuz Baydar Turkey needs freedom of expression more than ever. Erdoğan’s clampdown could stop dead our transition to a liberal democracy Last week I was fired from my job as independent ombudsman for the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah, following the censoring of my column. I had worked for the newspaper in this position since 2004. I had been hired [...] → Read the full article…
Turkey’s prime minister has threatened legal action against a UK newspaper for publishing an open letter criticising his handling of recent protests. Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Times of “renting out its pages for money”. Hollywood celebrities and academics were among those who signed the letter this week accusing Turkey’s government of “dictatorial rule”. A row over a park in [...] → Read the full article…
By Gul Tuysuz and Ivan Watson Istanbul (CNN) — A pro-government newspaper in Turkey fired its ombudsman this week. The dismissal came as a prominent journalists’ union and the main opposition party warned of a broad government crackdown against the Turkish press. “All the independent voices are now being silenced,” said Yavuz Baydar in an interview with CNN, a day [...] → Read the full article…
ISTANBUL — THE protests that convulsed Istanbul and other Turkish cities last month exposed, among many other things, the shameful role of Turkey’s media conglomerates in subverting press freedom. As the social unrest reached a peak on May 31 with clashes between tear-gas-happy police officers and protesters spreading through the heart of the city, the lack of even minimal coverage [...] → Read the full article…
Istanbul (CNN) — Turkish counter-terror police launched pre-dawn raids against scores of targets across Turkey’s largest city Tuesday. At least 30 suspects were detained, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian Agency reported, in connection with anti-government protests that erupted in Istanbul in late May. What’s driving unrest and protests in Turkey? The Turkish Interior Ministry, the Istanbul governor’s office and Istanbul police declined [...] → Read the full article…
Police will replace private security firms in universities, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced as a response to the Gezi Park protests, which have particularly been led by young university students. “We will place in state universities the state-owned security forces instead of private security. Seeing that there were very different things has pushed us to further responsibility,” Erdoğan [...] → Read the full article…
Authorities failing to prosecute crimes against protesters. Following the death of a fifth protester, the FIDH deplores the response to the demonstrations that have been held throughout Turkey since 28 May. Rather than promoting reconciliation and ensuring that Turkey’s citizens are protected and freedom of speech respected, the authorities are engaging in a veritable “witch hunt” against protesters, observers and [...] → Read the full article…