July 2024

Turkey Weekly 28 – 31 July 2024

Turkey Today – 31.07.2024

The warning sign “Pedestrian First ” was removed in Mardin’s Nusaybin district on the grounds that it “violates highway traffic marking standards”.

Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality teams rewrote the Kurdish warning signs that were deleted by the governorate’s decision. 

The Constitutional Court has ruled in favor of Abdurrahim Kılıç, who was previously convicted for wearing a t-shirt with the word “Kurdistan” and the Mesopotamian Sun emblem, deemed by lower courts as ‘terrorist propaganda.’

President Erdoğan has extended his condolences for the assassinated Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh and condemned Israel for the “heinous” move that could ignite a regional war.

President Erdoğan has criticized the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony for “debasing humanity to a level below animals,” saying he refused to attend it after his granddaughter “warned” him about the “LGBT show.”

Turkey Today – 30.07.2024

A series of police raids have taken place in Van, where several people, including the co-chairs of the provincial association of the DEM party Veysi Dilekçi and Gülşen Kurt, have been arrested.

The police attacked the crowd protesting the arrests in Van with dance and blockaded the party building. 

Bagok Mountain rural areas in Mardin’s Nusaybin were declared as “special security zone” for 15 days. 

A soldier named B.S. was arrested in Aydın for singing Kurdish song and taking halay at a military fun party. 

Turkey Today – 29.07.2024

President Erdoğan has stated that his country might enter Israel to help Palestinians as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Police raided 3 weddings in Hakkari and detained musicians and some wedding hosts who sang Kurdish songs.  

Vandalism of Kurdish traffic signs continues with a new attack in Diyarbakır. 

An objection was made to the access ban imposed on Mezopotamya Agency’s domain name upon the complaint of the Gümüşhane Provincial Gendarmerie Command. 

The Parliament has approved the controversial proposal for the euthanasia of stray dogs as part of the new “Animal Protection Law” amendment. 

Turkey Weekly 22 – 28 July

Turkey Today – 28.07.2024

In a resolution, the Turkish parliament condemned Israeli PM Netanyahu’s speech to the U.S. Congress. The parliament deemed the speech “a shameful chapter in history.”

During an opening ceremony for houses rebuilt under urban transformation in the northern Rize province President Erdoğan slapped a child for not kissing his hand.

In a speech at Parliament, AKP deputy Emre Çalışkan targeted the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony for becoming “a propaganda tool of various perverted movements.” He deemed the ceremony “LGBT, pedophile and satanic propaganda.” 

A Syrian refugee trans woman, who was deported by Turkey after her HIV status was exposed on social media, was killed by the Free Syrian Army in collaboration with her family in Syria.

Turkey Today – 27.07.2024

At least 11 people were detained while dancing the halay to Kurdish songs at weddings held on different dates in Istanbul. 6 young women were detained in Siirt after a video of them dancing at a wedding was shared on virtual media. 

1 of 7 people detained in Ağrı’s Doğubeyazıt district on the grounds of Kurdish song and halay was arrested on the allegation of “making propaganda for an illegal organization”.

The Constitutional Court (AYM) has ruled that the judicial fine imposed on Emine Şenyaşar for insulting former AKP MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız is a violation and ordered a retrial. 

Daveti Tan, a 62-year-old prisoner in Van Type F Closed Prison, is suffering from memory loss and has lost weight. Tan’s daughter stated that her father cannot access treatment. 

Turkey Today – 26.07.2024

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that Turkey transported 400 mercenaries from Syria to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in return for $3,000 per month to fight against the PKK. 

It was reported that 15 villages in Northern and Eastern Syria were bombed by Turkey overnight.

In Van, the Kurdish phrase “Pedestrian First” written on a crosswalk by the Metropolitan Municipality was defaced by unidentified individuals, who painted over it with the phrase “Turkey is Turkish and will remain Turkish”. 

President Erdoğan has dismissed many senior bureaucrats, including a deputy minister, and appointed 11 rectors to universities. 

Turkey Today – 25.07.2024

AKP MPs attacked and punched DEM Party MP Ali Bozan while he was giving a speech in the Turkish Parliament. When the deputy Bozan fell to the ground on the General Assembly, the AKP MPs continued to attack Bozan.

On their journey from Diyarbakır to İstanbul, director Ömer Leventoğlu and cameraman Hüseyin Altürk were briefly detained by police yesterday due to the possession of four t-shirts bearing the image of the imprisoned politician Selahattin Demirtaş. 

Former CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu once again criticized now leader Özel for meeting with Erdoğan and said “We will not shake the hand of the person sitting in the palace and we will fight.” In response, Özel said Kılıçdaroğlu “was never the leader of a leading party” unlike himself. Kılıçdaroğlu is reportedly preparing to run for the CHP leadership once again.

The 22nd hearing of the trial against the imprisoned journalist Mehmet Kamış, who is charged with “attempting to abolish or prevent the functioning of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey,” was held in Istanbul. Considering the time spent in detention, the court released the journalist. Trial adjourned until November. 

Turkey Today – 24.07.2024

Turkish diplomatic sources have denied a newspaper report claiming that President Erdoğan would meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow next month.

It was stated that a fire broke out in Kanî village of Duhok’s Amêdiyê district, which was bombed by Turkish warplanes. 

President Erdoğan said that the Ministry of Treasury and Finance will start collecting the debts of CHP municipalities. 

Bedrettin Düzen, a shepherd died due to an explosion in Hakkari’s Yüksekova district. 

Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said that for municipalities refusing to comply with the planned “mass euthanasia” legislation for stray dogs, they would impose prison sentences ranging from six months to two years.

Turkey Today – 23.07.2024

The indictment against HDP’s former Izmir Provincial Co-Chairs, which was rejected by two courts on the grounds of “lack of jurisdiction”, was sent to Izmir 13th High Criminal Court by the Court of Appeal. The first hearing of the case will be held on 4 October. 

Prisoner Abdürrahim Yüksel succumbed to his wounds after being severely burned. While the prison administration alleges that he burned himself, his family and lawyers question how he could have obtained a lighter in prison.

Sick prisoner Mehmet Nuri Tiryaki, suffering from diabetes and hypertension stated that he has not been taken to the infirmary for 3 months. 

Turkey Today – 22.07.2024

Turkish warplanes bombed Mount Metîna and its surroundings in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 

Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been heard from in Imrali Prison for 40 months, and 3 other prisoners have been given a new 3-month ban on family visits. 

President Erdoğan has stated that a potential shift in the U.S. administration following November’s presidential election could benefit Turkey’s expanding defense industry.

Yesterday, the police have battered and detained dozens of members of leftist youth organizations in Istanbul and Ankara who were commemorating the 33 people killed in the ISIS massacre in Suruç.

Turkey Weekly 8 – 14 July 2024

Turkey Today – 14.07.2024

“We will close the lock very soon in the Claw Operation Zone in northern Iraq,” President Erdoğan announced at the National Defense University’s graduation ceremony. 

According to the indictment of the case of Ayhan Bora Kaplan’s crime syndicate, Serdar Sertçelik, a suspect and secret witness in the case, said in a phone call that he “bribed” former Justice Minister Bozdağ 400,000 Euros for his case to be overturned. The former Minister denied the allegations. 

President Erdoğan has condemned the assassination attempt on former United States President Trump, saying Turkey “stands by the people of the friendly and allied United States.”

Public and private hospitals in Diyarbakır refuse to carry out abortion operations, arguing it is “forbidden.” Abortion on demand has been legal until the 10th week of pregnancy since 1983 in Turkey.

Turkey Today – 13.07.2024

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who played the role of mediator after Erdogan’s remarks on Syria, said that Turkey and Syria have reached an agreement on a meeting between the two countries, but no date has been set yet.

In the last month, 16 political prisoners in Izmir prisons were transferred to other prisons in handcuffs without informing them. Lawyer Zengin from ÖHD said that those transferred were prisoners of 30 years and were transferred to newly opened prisons. 

Hatice Durak, the mother of artist Nudem Durak, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the Kurdish songs she sang, stated that her daughter’s health condition is deteriorating. 

The district governor of Istanbul’s cultural hub Beyoğlu has banned the “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Turkey” exhibition by the 10th Trans Pride Week Exhibition Collective. 

Turkey Today – 12.07.2024

Journalist Murat Mîrza İbrahim, who was injured in Turkey’s airstrike on Shengal, has died. 

After the NATO Summit in Washington, President Erdoğan repeated his call for normalization with Syria stating, “We want to start a new process by overcoming this resentment.”

It was claimed that a UCAV crashed for an unknown reason in the morning hours in Hakkari’s Yüksekova district.

A court has arrested LGBTI+ activist İris Mozalar on charges of “inciting hatred and enmity and insulting the public” for criticizing racist attacks against Syrian refugees on social media.

The ninth hearing of the trial against journalist Can Dündar, charged with “procuring and disclosing confidential information related to state security for political or military espionage purposes” in the context of the MIT Trucks case, was held in Istanbu. The court decided to await the execution of the arrest warrant against the journalist. Trial adjourned until October. 

Turkey Today – 11.07.2024

The Association of Lawyers for Freedom announced that 11 people detained in Nisêbîn’s Marînê neighborhood were subjected to torture and sexual harassment. 

A military shipment was made from the Üzümlü Border Gate in Çele district to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. 

It was revealed that 13 children were subjected to sexual harassment at the Mêrdîn Branch of the Anatolian Youth Association. The investigation launched upon the complaint turned into a lawsuit. 

President Erdoğan has appointed Murat Zorluoğlu as the new Diyarbakır governor. Zorluoğlu was Trabzon’s mayor from the ruling AKP between 2019 and 2024.

Turkey Today – 10.07.2024

Police intervened with the Eğitim-Sen members marching to the parliament in protest of the proposed teaching profession bill in Ankara. 

Former Provincial Health Director of Diyarbakır Cihan Tekin has denied claims that the “TurkishBeam” technology was applied to Covid patients without proper informed consent during the pandemic. Allegations hold that some patients died after they were administered the unscientific treatment. 

A court has sentenced Mehmet Caymaz to life in prison for stabbing Kurdish street musician Cihan Aymaz to death on the pretext that the latter did not play the nationalist song the former requested.

The 12th hearing of the trial in which journalist Hayko Bağdat is being prosecuted on charges of “insulting the president” and “publicly inciting hatred and hostility” was held in İstanbul. He was sentenced to 1 year and 2 month in prison, but the sentence was suspended. 

Journalist Tolga Şardan faces 5 years in prison over ‘intelligence report’ article. In the article, Şardan mentioned a report prepared by the country’s intelligence agency about high judicial bodies and submitted to the president.

Turkey Today – 09.07.2024

11 of the 14 people detained in the military operation launched in Batman’s Gercüş district were referred to court for arrest. 

A court has released Mehmet Özkan, the contractor of the city blocks that collapsed and killed 97 in Hatay during the Feb. 6 quakes. Victims’ families objected to the release, citing his ties to the AKP and the risk of interfering with the trial.

Prisoners in Sincan High Security Prison No. 1 reported that several people were poisoned by food poisoning last week.

Mehmet Darga, 65, who is being held in prison since 1992, is not being released despite serious health problems. His wife said that he is held in solidarity confinement. 

Turkey Today – 08.07.2024

3 people, including 2 journalists, were injured in the attack on the vehicle carrying journalists in Shengal. 

Due to of the recent bombardments of Turkish Armed Forces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 80% of the agricultural lands and forests in 5 villages in the Bargare area in Amedi district have been burned. 

The “March for the Respect to Will” which was launched against the appointment of s trustee and started on June 30th has reached Hakkari. 

A petition was launched with the participation of many people including intellectuals, writers and journalists against the revocation of Açık Radyo’s license by the Radio and Television Supreme Council. 

Turkey Weekly 1 – 7 July 2024

Turkey Today – 07.07.2024

In the 28th legislative term of the Parliament, almost half of the 12,512 inquiries submitted by the opposition deputies were left unanswered. Additionally, none of the motions from any opposition parties was brought to the parliamentary agenda.

Educators and union representatives have organized a week-long protest in Ankara’s Parliament Park, criticizing the proposed amendment to the Teaching Profession Law for the lack of provisions to improve the conditions of private sector teachers. 

It was revealed that the trustees of Cizre Municipality also handed over the parks. DEM Party administration started maintenance and repair work in the parks because they were abandoned to their fate. 

DEM Party Parliamentary Deputy Chair Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who attended the protest of earthquake victims’ families, said those responsible must be held accountable before justice. 

Turkey Today – 06.07.2024

Some village guards who were forced to be taken to the Kurdish city of Afrin (Syria), which has been under occupation since 2018, resigned. 

Saturday Mothers gathered at Galatasaray Square in week 1006 to ask for the fate of Edip Aksoy and Orhan Cingöz who were disappeared 29 years ago.

Relatives of the disappeared and Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed (Diyarbakır-Kurdistan) Branch gathered in Diyarbakır and commemorated Vedat Aydın who was taken from his home on 5 July 1991 and whose lifeless body was found in Elazığ. 

Burak Kılıç, the deputy head of Turkey’s ultranationalist Grey Wolves organization, has threatened oppositional journalists covering the murder trial of Sinan Ateş through a post on social media.

Turkey Today – 05.07.2024

Osman Kavala’s request for a retrial has been denied once again by the Justice Ministry. 

The ninth hearing of the trial, in which journalist Yağmur Kaya and 51 Boğaziçi University students are being prosecuted on the charge of “violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations,” was held in İstanbul. The requests of some defense attorneys for an immediate acquittal decision was rejected. 

A court has arrested three minors for the murder of 17-year-old Syrian Ahmed Hamdan Al Naif in the Antalya province’s Serik district. 

The Culture Ministry’s new practice of appointing a Turkish coordinator for foreign archaeology teams during the excavations has drawn criticism from the experts. 

Turkey Today – 04.07.2024

Turkey bombarded Sergelê village in Dohuk city of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A fire broke out in the village. 

15-year-old Syrian child fatally stabbed in Antalya amid anti-refugee violence. Three suspects, all minors themselves, have been arrested following the incident.

CHP Spokesperson Deniz Yücel has held President Erdoğan responsible for the attacks against Syrian refugees that started in Kayseri, and for “the refugee problem.” 

Boğaziçi University students hold alternative graduation after rector’s ban. The university administration attempted to disrupt the event by playing loud music on the campus. 

Turkey Today – 03.07.2024

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the German ambassador to Ankara following a disciplinary investigation launched by UEFA against Turkish footballer Merih Demiral. The investigation concerns a gesture known as the ‘Grey Wolves’ sign. 

An Ankara court has handed prison sentences to eight journalists working for Kurdish news outlets for “being a member of a terrorist organization.” Three others have been acquitted of the charges.

Media watchdog RTÜK revoked radio channel Açık Radyo’s license over “not complying” with the program suspension fine it received due to remarks on the Armenian Genocide in of its programs.

Turkey has been in discussions with the United States regarding the construction of large-scale nuclear power plants and small modular reactors (SMR), a senior official from the Turkish Energy Ministry told Reuters.

Turkey Today – 02.07.2024

Racist attacks against Syrian refugees have been increasing in Kayseri, Hatay, Adana, Şanlıurfa, Bursa, and Gaziantep provinces, with refugees’ shops and vehicles being set on fire.

Turkey marked the 31st anniversary of the Sivas Massacre, where an Islamist mob set fire to the Madımak Hotel in the central Sivas province, killing 35 people. DEM Party, CHP, and TİP chairs joined the commemoration and demanded justice for the victims.  

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan removed his Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and Urbanization Minister Mehmet Özhaseki with a late-night decree. 

Turkey Today – 01.07.2024

Association of Lawyers for Freedom and DEM Party Law Commission applied to Van Administrative Court for the annulment of the decision to appoint a trustee to Hakkari Municipality. 

At the hearing of the Ankara Station Massacre case, the defendant Resul Demir requested that the then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu be heard. 10 defendants receive aggravated life sentence for ISIS massacre in Ankara, one acquitted of crimes against humanity. 

An incident of the alleged sexual assault on a child in Kayseri, central Turkey, turned into violent protests targeting the refugee community of the city on Sunday evening.