May 1, 2014

Archbishop Tutu receives Fethullah Gülen peace award

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was awarded the Fethullah Gülen Peace and Dialogue Award during the seventh annual Ubuntu Lecture and Dialogue Awards ceremony held in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening.

Turkish Extradition Request Could Strain Relations With US

ISTANBUL — The news that Turkey will officially request that the United States extradite Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen is threatening to strain U.S.-Turkish relations. Ankara insists Gulen is behind a conspiracy to overthrow the government. But analysts warn that Ankara may find it difficult legally to secure his extradition.

Turkish PM's Politically-motivated Crackdown on Law-abiding Citizens, including Mr. Fethullah Gulen, Undermine Democracy

Alliance for Shared Values, Press Statement

NEW YORK, April 29, 2014 - We continue to be deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Erdogan's politically-motivated attempts to crackdown on law-abiding citizens who have done nothing but exercise their right to democratic dissent.

Courts order corrections to gov't media stories on Hizmet

Several courts have ruled against untruthful stories published or broadcast by media institutions close to the government about the Hizmet movement, which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused of trying to undermine his government, but most newspapers and stations have not published the corrections as they should according to the rulings.

Black propaganda websites granted legal shield

In a move that has been interpreted as providing legal protection to black propaganda websites, a public prosecutor in İstanbul speedily ruled that there was a lack of grounds for legal action to be taken concerning criminal complaints filed against websites that have been employing highly offensive, libelous and accusatory language to target journalists who are critical of the government, Today's Zaman has learned.

US avoids commenting on Gülen's extradition

US State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the US will not comment on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's expectation for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to be extradited from the US, where he now lives.

Turkish opposition: Enquiry against Gülen politically motivated

Turkey's opposition parties across the political spectrum criticized reports that a criminal investigation was launched against Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, saying that the allegations are a political tactic by embattled Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to distract public interest away from a big graft scandal that has implicated himself, his family members and his senior government officials.

Erdoğan's scapegoats: the West and Gülen

İhsan Yılmaz

Last week I wrote that Erdoğan has a “Hobbesian-Machiavellian” state mentality and does not seem to be bound by any natural law, universal standards, human rights, international obligations, ethics or morality.

Kimse Yok Mu providing assistance to Ebola victims in Guinea

Turkish aid organization Kimse Yok Mu has been supplying medical aid to Guinea since March, when the lethal Ebola virus struck the West African country, claiming 122 lives to date.

No investigation into Islamic scholar Gülen

While government newspapers and TV stations join a chorus saying that a criminal investigation has been launched into US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen over allegations of “staging a coup” against the state, sources close to the judiciary deny any probe.

Latin American firms seek Turkey investments at TUSKON meet

A total of 80 businesspeople from 10 Latin American countries met in Turkey's Kayseri province on Tuesday to discuss investment and trade opportunities with local counterparts in a new “trade bridge” event held by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).

TUSKON denies mass resignations after corruption probe

Turkey's leading business conglomerate has denied reports of mass resignations following a recent corruption scandal, vowing to sue pro-government Yeni Şafak for fabricating false information.