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Turkey Tag

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on July 23, 2016 6 Comments
As Mary noted when she wrote about Erdogan's issuance of a three-month state of emergency, the purges have indeed continued and dramatically expanded beyond their initial scope: "What began as an effort to root out members of the military and security forces directly involved in the July 15 coup attempt has been extended to eliminate the Gulen movement’s influence from education, academia and the civil service." Reports are emerging that Turkey has moved forward with its plans to "purge" all purportedly Gulen-linked institutions and organizations. Bloomberg reports:
The Turkish government’s decision to shut down and seize the assets of organizations linked to the alleged mastermind of last week’s failed coup has come into force, and ministers continued to reassure foreign leaders and investors that the country isn’t backsliding on democracy and economic reforms.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 21, 2016 2 Comments
Yesterday I asked the question, in light of the academic purge in Turkey, Will anti-Israel academic boycotters now also boycott Turkish universities? As noted in that post, over 250 university presidents and major university associations have condemned the academic boycott of Israel. In particular, the December 2013 adoption of the academic boycott of Israel by the American Studies Association was condemned as violation of academic freedom. Read the dozens and dozens of statements describing how the ASA has violated academic freedom here.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 21, 2016 6 Comments
The Turkish parliament has formally approved a three month state of emergency after a failed coup last Friday. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promises its needed to protect Turkey's democracy:
“The aim is to rapidly and effectively take all steps needed to eliminate the threat against democracy, the rule of law and the people’s rights and freedoms,” Mr. Erdogan said.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 20, 2016 7 Comments
It was one of the most notorious statements of the academic boycott movement against Israel. Shortly after the American Studies Association adopted the academic boycott of Israel in December 2013, and a firestorm of condemnation by University Presidents and associations erupted, then ASA President Curtis Marez justified singling out Israel because "one has to start somewhere":
The American Studies Association has never before called for an academic boycott of any nation’s universities, said Curtis Marez, the group’s president and an associate professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, San Diego. He did not dispute that many nations, including many of Israel’s neighbors, are generally judged to have human rights records that are worse than Israel’s, or comparable, but he said, “one has to start somewhere.”
In that single phrase, "one has to start somewhere," was the hypocrisy and essential anti-Semitism of the BDS academic boycott movement laid bare.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 20, 2016 9 Comments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reached out to President Barack Obama about extraditing Fethullah Gülen, who he blames for the failed coup on Friday. The White House said:
“The president made clear to President Erdogan that the United States doesn’t support terrorists and doesn’t support individuals who conspired to overthrow a democratically elected government,” according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 20, 2016 9 Comments
With terrorists associated to the Islamic State striking one European city after another, Secretary John Kerry went on CNN saying, the ISIS was “on the run.” The blood wasn’t yet washed off the pavements of Nice, France where an Islamist mowed down 84 people to death, an Afghan ‘refugee’ went on a stabbing spree in the southern Germany city of Würzburg. As German decision makers go deeper in denial and continue to plead helplessness in face of Islamist attacks, terrorism is fast becoming the 'new normal' for Europe. Just hours after the terrorist attack in Würzburg, Germany’s Refugee-Czar Peter Altmaier reassured the country that “refugees posed no increase security threat.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2016 18 Comments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to purge those allegedly involved in the failed coup on Friday. Today, the Education Ministry sacked 15,200 teachers, canceled 21,000 licenses at private schools, and asked deans at universities to leave:
“Our ministry is carrying out extensive efforts aimed at public personnel in central and rural districts who have connections to FETÖ. As of today, 15,200 public officials have been suspended and investigations were launched into them,” the statement released from the ministry’s Twitter account read.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 18, 2016 14 Comments
European Union commissioner Johannes Hahn told the media he believes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his purge list before the coup:
"It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage," Hahn said. "I'm very concerned. It is exactly what we feared."
The government has arrested more than 6,000 people, some who did not even know they participated in the coup. They claimed their commanders told them "they were taking part in military manoeuvres."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 17, 2016 14 Comments
Turkish authorities have demanded the U.S. extradite Fethullah Gülen, leader of the Gülen Movement, because they believe he orchestrated the coup. They even said keeping him in the states is a "hostile act" towards the regime:
“I do not see any country that would stand behind this man, this leader of the terrorist gang especially after last night. The country that would stand behind this man is no friend to Turkey. It would even be a hostile act against Turkey,” Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım told reporters at a press conference on July 16 as the coup attempt has been foiled earlier in the day.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 16, 2016 3 Comments
*UPDATE* Turkey has resumed operations at Incirlik air base after they cut it off due to the failed coup. https://twitter.com/FranTownsend/status/754412322513358852 The U.S.'s airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) have stopped due to Turkey's failed coup. Authorities stopped all flights from the Incirlik air base:
“At this time, Turkish authorities are not permitting aircraft to depart Incirlik,” an American military official said on Saturday morning.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 16, 2016 20 Comments
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed his forces have successfully defeated the coup attempted by some in the military, which left over 250 dead and thousands injured. He promised a swift and quick retaliation for those who retaliated against him. It didn't take him long: https://twitter.com/DailySabah/status/754300366603288576 https://twitter.com/DailySabah/status/754319064005283840

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 15, 2016 35 Comments
There was an attempted coup in Turkey on Friday. Military officials backing the coup claimed initial success, but as events developed during the day Friday, the coup appeared to faulter and be on the verge of collapse. We will have a full UPDATE at 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday. Here are the latest events on Friday. After returning to Istanbul airport, Erdogan appeared on television and proclaimed that he still was in control and the coup would fail: https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov/status/754123604606980101

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 29, 2016 6 Comments
The terrorist attack at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport left 41 dead, including 10 foreign nationals, and 239 injured. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has said that the evidence they have points to the Islamic State as the culprits.

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 27, 2016 4 Comments
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have formally announced that their countries reached a deal to renew their relationship. Netanyahu assured Israel that "the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip would remain in place following the deal but that Turkey would be able to send supplies to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod." Yıldırım confirmed his government will build a "friendship hospital" and develop a housing project with the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ).

Posted by Mary Chastain on June 26, 2016 7 Comments
No, it's not April 1. Israel and the Turkish government, led by anti-Semitic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have agreed to normalize relations after "six years of animosity" due to the 2010 Mavi Marmara ship. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım will formally announce the deal on Monday at 1PM local time (6AM ET). Of course, this does not mean Erdoğan has changed his ways or views on Israel. It's all about money.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 05, 2016 2 Comments
NATO has accepted Israel's request to establish an office at the headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The decision went through because Turkey decided to stop opposing Israel's attempts at opening an office at NATO. A non-NATO country needs unanimous consent from all NATO members in order to collaborate with the organization.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 03, 2016 4 Comments
The Turkish parliament dived into another fistfight this week as the lawmakers debate changes to the country's constitution. The members fought again about stripping some members of parliament of their immunity if they face charges. The fight "left one person with a dislocated shoulder and a second with a bloodied nose."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on April 24, 2016 8 Comments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot take criticism and will not tolerate dissent in Turkey . . . or, it seems, in Germany and the Netherlands. In 2014, Erdogan made international news when he ordered sweeping arrests of opposition "journalists, producers, scriptwriters, and even police chiefs" suspected of being aligned with his one of his enemies. The Clarion Project reported at the time:
Two days after Turkey’s Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted at a crackdown against the “evil forces” of his rival Fethullah Gulen, Turkish police embarked on a comprehensive operation to arrest prominent journalists, producers, scriptwriters and even police chiefs allegedly aligned with Gulen.
The arrests of at least 27 people—for the crime of being, as described by Erdogan, "terrorist forces" attempting to "seize control of the state"—were roundly condemned by the EU.  So much so that Erdogan felt compelled to respond, telling the EU to "mind its own business." With this background, it's not surprising that Erdogan has now had a Dutch journalist arrested for an anti-Erdogan tweet (or series of tweets).
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