Category Archives: Turkey

‘As bad as Brexit’: Turkey faces currency crisis after Erdoğan sacks bank chief

Posted on by

Lira could plunge 15%, analysts warn, after Turkey’s president risks destabilises fragile economy with removal of governor

The Turkish lira could plunge up to 15% in an “ugly reaction” when financial markets reopen on Monday, analysts have warned, after president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sacked the country’s central bank chief days after a sharp rise in interest rates.

With one expert calling the decision “as bad as Brexit”, Erdoğan shocked global investors by removing the bank chief after only five months and replacing him with a party loyalist.

Continue reading...

‘We were left in the sea’: asylum seekers forced off Lesbos

Posted on by

One refugee’s terrifying story illustrates how ‘pushbacks’ are creating a crisis for the right to asylum at Europe’s borders

“We were all forced on to the boat. If we looked up they shouted at us and hit us in the head. Then they stopped at a place in the sea where there were no other boats, they left us.”

Mustafa, his wife and two young children had only been on the Greek island of Lesbos a few hours when, they say, they were driven in a van to the coast, beaten by masked men and then taken out to sea on a raft and abandoned there.

Continue reading...

Hong Kong activists and plight of the Uighurs: human rights this week in photos

Posted on by

A roundup of the coverage on struggles for human rights and freedoms, from Colombia to the Sahara

Continue reading...

Turkish court refuses to admit US Khashoggi report as trial evidence

Posted on by

Killed journalist’s fiancee petitioned for report implicating crown prince to be part of case against 26 Saudis

A Turkish court trying 26 Saudi nationals in absentia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has refused to admit as evidence a recent US intelligence report implicating the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, despite a petition from the journalist’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz.

The declassified US report released last Friday said Washington believed that Prince Mohammed approved the operation to “capture or kill” Khashoggi.

Continue reading...

More than 75% of Syrian refugees may have PTSD, says charity

Posted on by

‘There is a huge amount of damage you can’t see – the mental trauma’, says Syria Relief report author

More than three-quarters of Syrian refugees may be suffering serious mental health symptoms, 10 years after the start of the civil war.

A UK charity is calling for more investment in mental health services for refugees in several countries after it found symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were widespread in a survey of displaced Syrians.

Continue reading...

US finds Saudi crown prince approved Khashoggi murder but does not sanction him

Posted on by

Biden administration to target ‘counter-dissident’ activity and Saudi official but not Mohammed bin Salman personally

US intelligence agencies concluded that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, approved the 2018 murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi but stopped short of personally targeting the future Saudi king with financial or other sanctions.

Related: Khashoggi confidant Omar Abdulaziz: 'I’m worried about the safety of the people of Saudi Arabia'

Continue reading...

Four children thrown to safety from burning building in Istanbul – video

Posted on by

A mother rescued four children by throwing them from the window of a burning apartment block in Istanbul, Turkey. Neighbours caught the children with blankets spread out below as black smoke billowed from the building. Local authorities said the children were in good health. The mother was hospitalised as a precaution before being discharged

Continue reading...

Turkey’s mobsters step out of shadows and into public sphere

Posted on by

After decades in hiding, in prison or keeping low profile, players from a bloody period in the country’s history are now seen as ‘folk idols’ by the Turkish right

At first glance, the photograph of two smartly dressed older Turkish men, posing for the camera in an office filled with flags, could be of any important figures in the country – but it is rare for a picture to say so much about both the past and the future.

On the left is Devlet Bahçeli, an ultranationalist political dinosaur who has in the past few years become an influential coalition partner in the government of Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Continue reading...

Erdoğan vows to expand fight against PKK after deaths of 13 hostages

Posted on by

More than 700 alleged supporters of Kurdish militants held following failed attempt to rescue Turkish soldiers and police

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has vowed to expand operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) as the fallout from the deaths of 13 Turkish soldiers and police officers abducted by the militant group continued to reverberate at home and abroad.

The bodies of 13 victims, 12 shot in the head and one who died of a bullet wound to his shoulder, were discovered in a cave complex in Gare in Kurdish-run northern Iraq during a Turkish military operation designed to free them, officials said on Sunday. The PKK said the hostages had been killed in Turkish airstrikes.

Continue reading...

I crossed the world to see my dying dad – then the pandemic took me on a wild Europe odyssey

Posted on by

When I tried to return from Jersey to Australia, I had no idea the journey would lead me through 16 cities in nine countries, and take nearly five months

On the morning of 1 July last year, while sitting in my apartment in the Sydney suburb of Balmain, I got the phone call I had dreaded since I moved to Australia.

My dad was dying.

Continue reading...

Turkey student protests: teargas, pepper spray and pot-banging – video

Posted on by

Escalating protests over the appointment of a state-approved rector at a prestigious Istanbul university have become an unexpected catalyst for Turkey’s disillusioned and underemployed youth to vent their frustrations at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.

Demonstrations by both staff and students erupted last month after the former political candidate Melih Bulu was appointed. The decision was denounced as undemocratic

Continue reading...

Student protests grow as Turkey’s young people turn against Erdoğan

Posted on by

President’s appointment of political ally as university rector becomes catalyst for disillusioned youth to vent frustrations

Escalating protests over the appointment of a state-approved rector at a prestigious Istanbul university have become an unexpected catalyst for Turkey’s disillusioned and underemployed youth to vent their frustrations at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.

Demonstrations by both staff and students erupted last month over the installation of Melih Bulu, a business figure who stood as a ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) parliamentary candidate in 2015, as rector of Boğaziçi University, arguably the most acclaimed higher education institution in the country.

Continue reading...

How Boncuk the dog waited days outside Turkish hospital – video

Posted on by

Boncuk, a devoted pet, spent days waiting outside a hospital in Trabzon, Turkey, where her sick owner Cemal Senturk was being treated. Boncuk followed the ambulance that transported Senturk to hospital before making multiple visits to front door. According to Senturk's daughter, Aynur Egeli, she would take Boncuk home but the dog kept going back. After six days apart Boncuk and Senturk were reunited when he was discharged

Continue reading...

Turkish televangelist sentenced to 1,075 years for sex crimes

Posted on by

Adnan Oktar was detained in 2018 along with more than 200 other suspects in his group

A Turkish court has sentenced a Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily clad women he called “kittens” to more than 1,000 years in jail for sex crimes.

Adnan Oktar preached creationism and conservative values while women in revealing outfits – many of whom appeared to have had plastic surgery – danced around him to upbeat music in the TV studio.

Continue reading...

‘Teaching us wonder’: Turkey embarks on cultural mission to preserve its fairytales

Posted on by

Mammoth task to collate magical folklore of Anatolian plateau involves thousands of stories

Once upon a time, in the old, old days when the mouse was a barber, and the donkey ran errands, and the tortoise baked bread, there was a great mountain called Kaf Daği on the border of the spirit realm, from which many of the fairytales and myths of the Middle East sprang forth.

Today, Kaf Daği is thought to be somewhere in the Caucasus mountain range that separates the Black Sea from the Caspian. In this magical place – also known as Jabal Qaf in Arabic and Kuh-e Qaf in Persian – princes are cursed by witches, who turn them into stags; beautiful maidens are birthed from oranges; and sultans, courtiers, slaves and farmers alike are at the mercy of the peri (fairies) and ifrit (demons) that populate the Turkish fairyland.

Continue reading...

Istanbul university students clash with police over rector appointment

Posted on by

Melih Bulu was assigned post at Boğaziçi University by Turkish president Erdoğan

Students and staff at an Istanbul university have clashed with police in rare protests sparked by the politically charged appointment of a state-approved rector with links to Turkey’s conservative ruling party.

Melih Bulu – who stood as a Justice and Development party (AKP) parliamentary candidate in 2015 – was appointed rector of Boğaziçi University by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a presidential decree issued on 1 January and sworn into office on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

Deadly suicide attack in Mogadishu claimed by al-Shabaab

Posted on by

Motorcycle bomber targets Turkish construction company, killed at least five people and injuring 14

A suicide bombing in Mogadishu has killed at least five people, the Turkish health minister has said.

The al-Shabaab group, which is linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday in the Somali capital in a post from its Shahada news agency. The group often targets Mogadishu with suicide bombings and other attacks.

Continue reading...

Pressure on Turkey to protect Uighurs as China ratifies extradition treaty

Posted on by

Ankara has long welcomed Uighur and Turkic Muslims fleeing China but human rights groups fear the treaty will endanger them

Beijing has ratified an extradition treaty with Turkey that human rights groups warn could endanger Uighur families and activists fleeing persecution by Chinese authorities if it is adopted by Ankara.

The treaty, first signed in 2017, was formalised on the weekend at the national people’s congress, with state media saying it would be used for counter-terrorism purposes. Facing strong opposition within its parliament, Turkey’s government has not yet ratified the deal, and critics have urged the government to abandon it and prevent the treaty from “becoming an instrument of persecution”.

Continue reading...

Covid-19 patients killed by exploding oxygen cylinder in Turkey

Posted on by

Ten killed when ‘high pressure oxygen device’ exploded at Sanko University hospital in Gaziantep

At least 10 people have died after an oxygen cylinder exploded at an intensive care unit treating Covid-19 patients in Turkey, the health minister said.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the fire took place at the private Sanko University hospital in Gaziantep, which is about 40 miles north of the country’s border with Syria. It cited a hospital statement identifying the victims as being between 56 and 85. The fire was quickly brought under control.

Continue reading...

EU leaders approve sanctions on Turkish officials over gas drilling

Posted on by

Bloc defers decision on trade tariffs and arms until consultation with Biden administration

EU leaders have agreed to impose sanctions on an unspecified number of Turkish officials and entities involved in gas drilling in Cypriot-claimed waters – but they deferred bigger decisions such as trade tariffs or an arms embargo until they have consulted with the upcoming Biden administration.

The decision reached by the EU council after hours of heated debate disappointed hardliners such as France, Cyprus and Greece, which had pressed for more urgent and substantive action to express EU disapproval of Turkish foreign policy.

Continue reading...