Monthly Archives: October 2017

On Oct. 17, a motorcycle parked on the side of the road exploded just as a shuttle bus for police officers was passing by the city of Mersin on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The remotely activated bomb injured 18 people. The … Continue reading →

ISTANBUL—Government critics and activists in Turkey argue that new laws related to marriage threaten secularism and women’s rights. A controversial bill passed on October 18 officially recognizes marriage ceremonies conducted by a mufti, an Islamic legal expert and state official, … Continue reading →

The refugee crisis sparked by war and economic upheaval in the Middle East leaves its mark on the Istanbul Biennial and satellite events. Youtube/İstanbul Kültür Sanat Vakfı A scene from "Home Sweet Home" by Turkish artist Volkan Aslan. Posted Aug. … Continue reading →

Turkey’s quandary will only be resolved by the country’s politicians and citizens. How much courage, consistency, and resilience they show will be of the essence. Read more: http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/73514

With no end in sight for the diplomatic standoff between the U.S. and Turkey, various publications are reporting that the cessation of new travel visas to Turkey is beginning to impact American travelers. Read more: http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/No-End-in-Sight-for-US-Turkey-Visa-Battle

U.S. authorities have denied visas to a delegation from Turkey’s Justice Ministry, CNN Turk reported on Tuesday. Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-turkey-visa/amid-visa-row-turkeys-justice-ministry-cancels-u-s-visit-idUSKBN1CT2HN?il=0

Authoritarian leaders do not simply come and go. And when they do go, they rarely go quietly. The test of an autocrat like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan isn’t how he came to power, but how he treats critics, journalists, … Continue reading →

The CHP Group Deputy Chair, Mr Özgür Özel, has declared that the CHP will take the legislation that grants muftis the authority to perform marriage to the Constitutional Court, as soon as possible. They believe that this legislation openly contravenes … Continue reading →

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu accused the President Erdoğan of turning Turkey into a “tribal state” through foreign policy missteps and his influence on all executive and legislative process in the country. Read more: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-leader-accuses-government-of-feeding-injustice-121050

Longtime Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek is resisting pressure to resign, fashioning himself into an unlikely rebel as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turns a sweeping purge of Turkish society against his own party. Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-22/ankara-mayor-becomes-unlikely-rebel-in-showdown-with-erdogan

Shares of Turkey’s banks and the lira currency fell on Monday as comments from the national banking regulator failed to erase investor concerns over a report that lenders could face substantial U.S. fines for evasion of Iran sanctions. Read more: … Continue reading →

Merkel wants EU aid cut to Turkey for democratic backsliding BRUSSELS – Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling for cuts in European Union financial assistance aimed at helping Turkey get ready for eventual EU membership, given what she called a … Continue reading →

The Council of Europe’s commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Nils Muižnieks, has indicated that the detention and prosecution of journalists in Turkey was “prone to arbitrary application due their vague formulation”. His report also states that Turkey was violating the … Continue reading →

A Mufti is an Islamic scholar who interprets and expounds Islamic law. They are jurist qualified to give authoritative legal opinions. Called by the Republican People’s Party Istanbul Provincial Women’s Branch, women have answered the call by staging demonstration against … Continue reading →

Mr Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has urged the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to build their democratic standards, without waiting for the EU to open up accession chapters. He also added that his party will support them if they bring about all … Continue reading →

Turkey will be on the menu as European leaders meet for dinner in Brussels on 19 October, but it won’t be a happy meal. Relations between the EU and Turkey have deteriorated sharply over the past few months and are … Continue reading →

In 5th of December, on the 83rd anniversary of the legislation granting Turkish women the right to vote, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will hold a “Women Congress” which will gather women all in 81 province in Turkey. … Continue reading →

According to Human Rights Watch’s report, people accused of terrorism or of being linked to the July 2016 attempted coup are at risk of torture in police custody in Turkey. In this report which is based on interviews with lawyers … Continue reading →

Responding to CHP’s Gürer’s parliamentary inquiry, the Minister of Justice (Mr Gül), has declared that 889 journalists’ yellow press cards were cancelled in 2016. Despite Mr Gül’s declaration stating that the journalists have not been emprisoned due to their journalistic … Continue reading →

The unemployment rate has reached 10.7% in July (compared to 10.2% in June). It represents an increase of 119 000 people; the number of unemployed became 3 443 000. The unemployment rate marked 21,1% in youth population. The rate of illicit work was … Continue reading →