Turkey Weekly 21 – 26 October 2024
Turkey Today – 26.10.2024
As a result of the Turkish bombardment against the electricity station in Kobane, the city centre and 366 villages were left without electricity.
With a joint statement, medical chambers in Kurdistan protested the attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria and said ‘War is a public health problem’.
Stating that the condition of Abdurrahman Gemicioğlu, who was arrested despite his serious illness, is at a critical stage, his daughter Elif Gemicioğlu said, “Forensic Medicine is deliberately delaying the report that it should prepare immediately.”
The assets of the Islamic cult led by Adnan Oktar, thought to be at least two billion liras, were transferred to the state. He was sentenced to a total of 8,658 years in prison on charges of “leadership of a criminal organization,” “sexual abuse and assault,” “interruption of the right to education,” and “deprivation of liberty.”
Turkey Today – 27.10.2024
Putin stated in an interview that his Turkish counterpart Erdogan had suggested reestablishing communications regarding shipping in the Black Sea, but he has not yet had the opportunity to review the relevant documents he gave during the BRIC summit.
Abdurrahman Gemicioğlu, who was arrested because his sentence was approved although he was ill, was taken to intensive care unit for treatment.
A court sentenced 16 members of the Religious Scholars Solidarity Association (DİAYDER) to prison in a case launched for delivering sermons and preaching in Kurdish.
Saturday Mothers gathered at Galatasaray Square in week 1022 and asked the fate of Bahri Kağanaslan, who was disappeared in custody on 29 October 1993 in Diyarbakır.
Turkey Today – 25.10.2024
The People’s Defence Centre claimed responsibility for the attack in Ankara emphasizing that it has nothing to do with the political agenda discussed in Turkey in the last month.
The Defense Ministry announced that it struck 29 targets in Syria and Iraq, killing 59 people.
AKP and ally MHP have rejected a parliamentary motion submitted by the CHP to investigate the Oct. 23 attack at Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara in “all its aspects.”
President Erdoğan held a security summit in Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport addressing the recent gun attack at the Turkish Aerospace Industries.
India has rejected Turkey’s BRICS membership bid, citing the latter’s close relationship with Pakistan. The bid fell through as no consensus was reached among members, and the group decided not to accept new members in the near future.
Lawyer Dilek Ekmekçi standing trial for “membership in an armed terrorist organization” was rearrested after brief release.
Turkey Today – 24.10.2024
Turkey launched airstrikes on Northern and Eastern Syrian cities following the Ankara attack. In the attacks, 12 people lost their lives and dozens of people were injured. Airstrike were also launched on Şengal and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Lawyers from the Asrın Law Office have made a new application for a meeting with their client Abdullah Öcalan. The application came after DEM MP Ömer Öcalan visited the island after more then three years of total isolation.
Drawing attention to PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan’s statement, DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan asked whether the state is ready to create the legal and political grounds for the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue.
The Parliament’s general assembly approved a motion to extend the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) mandate in Lebanon for one more year.
The final hearing of the lawsuit filed against Dicle Müftüoğlu, co-chair of Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG), on charges of “being a member of a terrorist organization” was held in Diyarbakır. Müftüoğlu was acquitted.
Turkey Today – 23.10.2024
An explosion occurred in front of the facilities of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) headquarters in Ankara. The explosion was followed by gunfire. Officials have confirmed fatalities and injuries.
At least 4 people were detained in house raids in Bitlis’s Tatvan district in the morning.
The release of 15 women prisoners in Bakırköy Women’s Prison has been extended by 1 year each.
Prisoner İsmet Karak described the practices in Sincan High Security Prison No. 2 and said: “We are being forced to say, ‘Either compromise your political identity and honor, or lose your basic human rights!”
The court in Istanbul announced its decision in the 17th trial hearing where journalist Hayko Bağdat was charged with “insulting the president”. The case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations.
Turkey Today – 22.10.2024
MHP chair Devlet Bahçeli suggested that in exchange for lifting the solitarity confinement of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, he should speak in the parliament to declare that “terrorism has come to an end and that the #PKK has been disbanded.”
President Erdoğan called for the support of all political parties, civil society and the entire public for the new process.
National Defense Ministry issued a message following the death of Fethullah Gülen, the leader of the Gülen Movement, calling on his followers to “surrender.”
In the ongoing “terror” trial against Kurdish journalist Abdurrahman Gök, it has emerged that the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated new proceedings against him.
Turkey Today – 21.10.2024
In a social media post, President Erdoğan’s advisor Yiğit Bulut claimed that recent Nobel laureate Daron Acemoğlu’s theories were the reason why some countries remained poor.
Fethullah Gülen, leader of Gülen movement, dies in US at 83.
CHP chair Özgür Özel visited imprisoned Kurdish politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı in Edirne Prison before his planned tour of Kurdish cities.
One of the largest bar associations in the world, the Istanbul Bar Association has elected 74-year-old Professor İbrahim Kaboğlu, a former CHP MP, as its new chair following a 2-day-long congress.
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Turkey Weekly 14 – 20 October 2024
Turkey Today – 20.10.2024
The 22-year-old political prisoner Serhat Temizer, who suffered from epilepsy, died in a high-security prison in Wan after a court ordered his release.
Prisoners in prisons in Adana stated that they have not been able to access their right to health due to mouth searches and handcuffed examinations.
Following the curfew imposed in rural neighborhoods of Mardin, house raids were conducted. It is learned that 3 people have been detained so far.
An insurance scam investigation initiated by a 2023-dated denouncation has been stirring Turkey. Accordingly, the organization led to the death of hundreds of babies to defraud the insurance system.
In a village near Ain Issa, three 13-year-old boys were killed when mortar rounds hit a sheep pasture. The source of the attack is the Turkish jihadist occupation zone.
Turkey Today – 19.10.2024
Sıddık Güler, an 84-year-old seriously ill prisoner who is wheelchair-bound, was transferred to İskenderun Type T Prison with a note saying “Caution! He may escape”.
President Erdoğan met with the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia, who were in Istanbul for a meeting of the 3+3 South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform.
Fadıl Şenyaşar whose father and two brothers were murdered by the bodyguards and relatives of former AKP deputy Ibrahim Halil Yıldızhas been released from prison after six years and four months.
Saturday Mothers gathered at Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square in week 1021 and sought justice for Fehmi Tosun, who was forcibly disappeared under detention in 1995.
The government has reintroduced the “agents of influence” bill to the parliament, previously withdrawn after public backlash. It proposes prison terms for those acting “under the strategic interests or instructions of a foreign state or organization.”
2 people were arrested in Mêrdîn on the allegation of “financing an illegal organization” on the grounds of “gift” fee transfers they made on the internet game PUBG.
Turkey Today – 18.10.2024
Aksaray Type T Closed Prison Administration and Observation Board extended the release of 30-year prisoner Tamer Tanrıkulu for another 6 months despite the decision of the execution judge.
Presidential advisor Mehmet Uçum and AKP Deputy Chair Efkan Ala denied that they were seeking a new peace process regarding the Kurdish issue. “The state doesn’t try again methods that it has tried and failed to achieve results, (but) finds other effective methods,” Uçum noted.
The third hearing of the lawsuit filed by Tuncay Özdamar, WDR Cosmo Turkish Director, against the Treasury for compensation for his detention at Ankara Esenboğa Airport and 14 hours in custody, was held in Istanbul. The court ruled that Özdamar be paid 380 TL 7 kurus and 1000 TL non-pecuniary damages.
Lawyers from ÖHD met with prisoners in prisons in Balıkesir and Izmir and noted that violations in many areas, especially the right to health and the right to life, are being experienced.
Turkey Today – 17.10.2024
Clashes erupted yesterday in northern Syria between rival Turkish-backed armed groups, resulting in a fire near Turkey’s Kilis province after a rocket hit the area.
A court issued a “forced appearance” order for former CHP chair Kılıçdaroğlu in connection with a defamation lawsuit filed by President Erdoğan’s old lawyer.
Prisoners in Kırşehir Prison announced that they have started a rotating hunger strike against rights violations.
The İstanbul-based independent radio collective Açık Radyo was forced to end its 29-year broadcast today after its license was revoked by Turkey’s media regulator over the “Armenian genocide” remarks during a programme.
The police have detained some of the Fernas miners who went on hunger strike in protest of their employer, deputy of the ruling AKP Ferhat Nasıroğlu.
Turkey Today – 16.10.2024
76-year-old DEM politician Süleyman Bozkurt has been arrested for unknown reasons at his home in Malatya. During raids in Diyarbakır, 15 people were taken into custody for alleged “terror propaganda”.
Kurdistan Region President Barzani will meet with Turkish President Erdoğan in Ankara during an official visit as part of the steps taken towards to strengthen bilateral relations.
The dead body of 21-year-old Rojin Kabaiş has been discovered along the coast of Van Lake, 18 days after going missing after leaving her university dorm. Experts note that the woman couldn’t have traveled to the discovery site on foot.
A group of fascist national students tried to attack and batter Koç University students who were protesting recent femicides in Turkey. The group started attacking over the banners of “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi”.
Turkey Today – 15.10.2024
More than 260 people have been arrested in nationwide raids in connection with the rally in Diyarbakır.
Soldiers attacked the “No to war, peace now” demonstration in Şırnak’s Silopi district and detained 3 journalists and many Peace Mothers.
Devlet Bahçeli called on Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from for 43 months, to “liquidate the organization” and said: “No one should expect the state to sit at the table with terrorism.”
Commenting on Devlet Bahçeli’s call for Abdullah Ocalan to “liquidate the organization,” DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan said: “We wonder how Mr. Ocalan will respond. Open the doors and let’s listen to him.”
The third hearing of the lawsuit filed against KHK TV reporter Ahmet Erkan Yiğitsözlü, who was dismissed from his job at Anadolu Agency with a decree law, due to “membership in an armed terrorist organization” Yiğitsözlü was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison. Turkey Today – 14.10.2024
4 people were detained in police raids in Adıyaman’s Kahta district, including DEM Party co-chair Sait Dilek.
Human Rights Association’s Commission against Racism and Discrimination filed a criminal complaint against BBP Chairman and MP Mustafa Destici.
Journalist Pinar Gayip was detained during providing her statement regarding the complaint by a lawyer who was convicted of sexual assault.
The first hearing of the lawsuit filed against forensic medicine specialist Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı due to her comments on the photographs of Orhan İnandı, an educator who was abducted from Kyrgyzstan and brought to Turkey last year by an MIT operation was held in Istanbul. The court decided Fincancı will be forced to attend the next hearing. Trial adjourned until January.
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Turkey Weekly 01 – 06 October 2024
Turkey Today – 06.10.2024
Following a double femicide in Istanbul, women took to the streets in many places in Turkey to demand protection from violence and the right to self-determination.
Elif Gemicioğlu, the daughter of Abdurrahman Gemicioğlu, who was sent to prison before his cancer treatment was completed, stated that her father was kept in the infirmary due to the risk of death and should be released.
The house arrest order against journalists Delal Akyüz, Tolga Güney and Melike Aydın has not been lifted for 8 months.
The Energy Ministry announced that a Turkish seismic research vessel is set to arrive off the coast of Somalia by the end of October to begin exploring for oil and natural gas.
Turkey Today – 05.10.2024
Following AKP President Erdoğan’s statement “Turkey is the next target”, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş announced that Parliament will convene on 8 October.
The 67-year-old Kurd Abdurrahman Gemicioğlu has been sentenced to a long prison sentence and taken to prison in an ambulance. He suffers from bowel cancer and is bedridden.
The investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office into the ISIS attack on Santa Maria Church, which resulted in one death, has been concluded. The court accepted the indictment against 43 suspects who face prison sentences ranging from 7 to 349 years.
Saturday Mothers gathered at Galatasaray Square in week 1019 and demanded the fate of Düzgün Tekin, who was disappeared in detention 29 years ago.
Turkey Today – 04.10.2024
Two people were killed in a Turkish drone attack on a car in Amûdê in Northern Syria on Thursday evening.
In the Turkish parliament, a motion by the DEM party in favour of a committee of enquiry into the murder of eight-year-old Narin Güran has been rejected with the votes of the AKP and MHP.
Charges have been brought against JinNews correspondent Melek Avcı by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office due to the journalist’s reports on IS training camps in the Turkish border region.
Proceedings were initiated against six village guards who refused to be sent to the war in South Kurdistan. They were threatened and their weapons were confiscated.
Turkey Today – 03.10.2024
At a press conference at the Council of Europe, lawyer Ibrahim Bilmez spoke about the situation of political prisoners in Turkey and the unlawful incommunicado detention of his clients in Imrali Island Prison.
Tensions were apparent at the opening ceremony of the Parliament, as the DEM Party MPs protested President Erdoğan by not standing up as he took the rostrum, and CHP MPs opted out of clapping.
CHP leader Özgür Özel said during an interview that he expects the appeal court to impose a political ban on Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in the ongoing trial process.
DEM Party Muş MPs Sümeyye Boz Çakı and Sezai Temelli demanded the establishment of a parliamentary commission to reveal the perpetrators of the Vartinis Massacre.
Two people, including a child, were detained in house raids in Urfa’s Serekaniye district on the allegation of “making propaganda for an illegal organisation”.
Turkey Today – 02.10.2024
Abdulkadir Kuday, a prisoner with ALS who was prevented from being released despite his severe health problems, died in Metris Type R Closed Prison.
Former HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ was acquitted in the lawsuit filed against her for her speech calling for the freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The Foreign Ministry announced that Turkey is prepared to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon by air and sea if necessary.
During a reception held for the opening of the new legislative term, MHP chair Bahçeli told CHP leader Özel, “Don’t worry, sometimes we have to say these for sake of politics” for his threats against the opposition.
The first hearing of the case in which Contemporary Lawyers’ Association member Seda Şaraldı is being tried on charges of “membership in a terrorist organization” was held in Istanbul. The court ruled to continue the detention of the lawyer. Trial adjourned until December.
Turkey Today – 01.10.2024
Turkish Foreign Ministry condemns Israel’s attacks on Lebanon as ‘occupation attempt’.
President Erdoğan called on the United Nations General Assembly to recommend the use of force if the U.N. Security Council is unable to halt Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.
Six people were detained in house raids in Şırnak and Erzurum.
AKP MP Ahmet Zenbilci resigned from his party, stating, “I learned that my son’s name was mentioned in an investigation.” It was later revealed that the investigation in question involved drug trafficking conducted with Zenbilci’s vehicle.
MHP chair Devlet Bahçeli has threatened journalists and opposition figures for questioning his party’s potential ties to the murder of Sinan Ateş, a former leader of the Grey Wolves.
Journalist Rüstem Batum’s second hearing on charges of “insulting the president” for two posts on Twitter was held in Istanbul. The court decided to await the execution of the arrest warrant against Batum. Trial adjourned until April.