April 21, 2014

Hate crimes get worse in Turkey

Abdullah Bozkurt

Despite the fact that Turkey has recently adopted legislation against hate crimes, Turkey's divisive Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has not stopped his attacks with verbal expressions of intolerance and hatred directed at the judiciary, opposition parties, the media, business groups and members of the Hizmet movement, a faith-based civic movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. In fact, his hateful speech has increased in gravity, indicating that he is not interested in effective implementation of the law at all.

Mothers, fathers crying and praying due to extensive victimization

Ekrem Dumanlı

Lies and slander are not all that remain after devastating and cruel events take place. I sometimes even believe that it is better to ignore this impotent and twisted type of journalism and leave the whole settling of accounts to the Hereafter. There is no use in trying to remind people of ethics and professional standards in the face of this type of journalism, which is based on aggression and recklessness. But there is no need for pessimism; the fate of liars and the arrogant has always been the same throughout history. And it will be same now. That aggressive style of journalism will eventually collapse and disappear.

AK Party to increase social media army

Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is planning to increase its social media army from 9,000 to 12,000 users before the presidential election, according to a Monday report in the Taraf daily.

Reactions growing to demolition of family home

People from various rights groups and foundations have leveled harsh criticism at the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality after municipality workers demolished a prefabricated shelter in land belonging to the Hizmet-affiliated Mehtap Education Foundation, leaving a guard and his family -- including a disabled girl -- homeless.