Human Rights Threatened in Today’s Turkey

David Kilgour*

For almost a century, Turkey has been an internationally-admired Muslim-majority democracy. Under its World War 1 hero and founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turks obtained full independence in 1923, and later the rule of law, universal literacy, separation of state and religion, rights for women, and NATO membership.

Jailed Turkish academic Laçiner: I got used to lynching, at least accusations should make sense

Renowned Turkish academic and political scientist Prof. Dr. Sedat Laçiner, who was arrested in the wake of a controversial military coup on July 15, 2016, has stated that “I respond to what is said about me, and I don’t run from either prosecution or debate. But the accusations must be a bit rational and fair. I got used to the lynching, but at least the accusations should make sense. Have a heart! I am also a human being.”

Pro-gov’t journalist says jailed Gulenists should be forced to commit suicide

Pro-government journalist and writer Fazıl Duygun has called on authorities to force people jailed over their links to the Gulen movement to commit suicide.

2,500 schools confiscated, 30,000 teachers dismissed over Gülen links

Turkish Education Ministry Undersecretary Yusuf Tekin on Sunday said they have completed a purge of Gülen movement members and institutions in his ministry, the DHA news agency reported.

Does the Gülen (Hizmet) Movement Deny the Armenian Genocide?

Ismail Akbulut

In the past, certain individuals affiliated with the Gülen Movement, and sometimes the movement as a whole, have often been accused of supporting lobbying efforts to circumvent the passing of resolutions that commemorate the Armenian genocide. Members of the Armenian diaspora have voiced complaints about this, both in several articles and in verbal statements. To tell you the bitter truth, I would be lying if I said that the accusations held no weight at all.

Belgium court sentences man to 6-month in prison over online threats

A local court in Belgium’s Limburg province has given 6-month jail time plus 600 euros fine to a 37-year-old man who threatened Gulen supporters online.

Canada’s Green Party leader on human rights violations in Turkey: I am entirely horrified

Canada’s Green Party leader and lawmaker Elizabeth May said during a panel discussion held at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa on widespread human rights violations in Turkey that “I am entirely horrified by the behavior of the Turkish government. We need to be more speaking out loud.”

President Erdogan takes tips from Putin in targeting dissidents abroad

What happened?

On 14 March 2018, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats after Russia refused to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used in the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal, in Salisbury, England on 4 March 2018. Britain, the US, Germany and France have released a joint statement deploring the Salisbury poisoning as an “assault on UK sovereignty” and emphasised that such intervention is a “breach of international law”.

UN Human Rights: Turkey should promptly end its protracted state of emergency

Routine extensions of the state of emergency in Turkey have led to profound human rights violations against hundreds of thousands of people – from arbitrary deprivation of the right to work and to freedom of movement, to torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detentions and infringements of the rights to freedom of association and expression, according to a report* issued by the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday.

Report: Flynn Had Way More Potential Conflicts Than We Previously Knew

Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser who subsequently pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, had a slew of previously unreported conflicts of interest, Bloomberg reported Monday.

Asylum for Fethullah Gulen Movement Supporters?

Jason Dzubow*

Until the recent coup d’état attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, most people in the United States–including journalists and human rights advocates–had never heard about the Gulen Movement or its founder Fethullah Gulen. That all changed after the Turkish government blamed the coup effort on Mr. Gulen and his followers and demanded his extradition from the U.S., where he has lived in exile since 1999. Since then, American and international press agencies have published numerous articles about this man and his movement.

Man with 1 dollar bills acquitted of coup charges after admitting cocaine purchase

Mehmet Sinan İnce, a Turkish lawyer representing Turkey’s infamous mob boss Alaattin Çakıcı, have been acquitted of membership in the Gülen group, after he admitted that he was using one dollar bills that were found in his home to buy cocaine, the Sputnik reported.

Local head of Turkey’s ruling AKP appointed as trustee for 7 seized companies in Gaziantep

Mahmut Birlik, vice chairman of the Gaziantep branch of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by autocratic Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been appointed as trustee for seven companies that were seized and transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) due to their owners’ alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Switzerland probes Turkish diplomats’ attempt to kidnap pro-Gülen businessman

Switzerland is investigating whether Turkish diplomats planned to drug and kidnap a Swiss-Turkish businessman, who is an alleged member of the Gülen movement, as part of a crackdown after the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Pakistan’s Sindh High Court restrains Turkish teachers’ deportation

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday restrained the concerned authority from deporting former employees of Pak-Turk International School, ruling that they can live in the country but only as refugees.

Belgium firm to sue Turkey over Gülen-linked assets

A Belgian company, Cascade Investments NV, has launched an $80 million arbitration claim against Turkey in the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ISCID).

Erdogan is transforming Turkey into a totalitarian prison

Washington Post Editorial Board

In Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the tweet has been turned into a crime, and a troubled democracy is being turned into a dictatorship. Gradually but inexorably, a nation that once aspired to be an exemplar of enlightened moderation is being transformed by Mr. Erdogan into a dreary totalitarian prison. In the latest setback, last week, 23 journalists were sentenced to prison for between two and seven years on patently ridiculous charges that they were members of a terrorist organization and had tweeted about it. Two others were convicted on lesser charges of supporting a terrorist organization.

Opposition does not believe Gulen movement was behind the coup attempt

Dr. Kadir Akyuz of University of Bridgeport, CT, USA has carried out a poll to find out who the general public believe was behind the bloody coup attempt in July 2915. According to his results, opposition does not believe the Gulen movement but it was conspired by the “deadly combo” of Tayyip Erdogan and Dogu Perincek.

AfSV Condemns Turkish Teacher’s Death Under Torture Despite Official Innocence

Gokhan Acikkollu, a 42-year-old history teacher in Turkey, was dismissed from his job and was detained on baseless charges in the aftermath of the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. On August 5, 2016, he died as a result of 13 days of torture and abuse under police custody. Recently on February 27, 2018, it was revealed that he was actually reinstated to his job and that charges against him were dropped. Acikkollu’s life was horrifically taken away solely on the basis of a fabricated evidence. The Alliance for Shared Values condemns this atrocious incident as well as the hundreds of ongoing cases of indictments based on false evidence that result in torture.

Theology professor Suat Yildirim says Diyanet removed his articles from Islamic Encyclopedia

The Islamic theologian Suat Yildirim has said the articles he wrote for Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate’s (Diyanet) Islamic Encyclopedia have been removed.