Five more municipalities in Turkey, held by opposition parties, have been undemocratically seized by the AKP-MHP government. The municaplities’ democratically elected representatives have been replaced by unelected ‘trustees’ chosen by the regime. All five municipalities had originally been won by the HDP party in 2019 local elections. The seized municiaplites include; the cities of Siirt … Read more
Ibrahim Gökçek, bassist of the folk band Grup Yorum, led a death fast protest for 323 days in protest at the state repression against his group. With the protest, the 39-year-old musician demanded the lifting of the concert ban of Grup Yorum, an end to police raids against the Idil cultural centre, the release of … Read more
Activists in the German city of Stuttgart took action in solidarity with the thousands of political prisoners incarcerated by the authoritarian Turkish state. Activists unfurled a banner on a Lurdwigsburg-Stuttgart bridge saying “Freedom for all political prisoners”. The issue of political prisoners has become increasingly prominent in Turkey following the recent “Law of Execution” passed in parliament. … Read more
In a joint declaration 122 democratic institutions, associations, platforms and political parties in Turkey said they won’t tolerate the restriction of the powers of local opposition governments and threats to appoint trustees. Through this “Hands Off Kars” Declaration, the signatories have expressed their solidarity and support for the Kars municipality after recent rhetoric by the AKP government … Read more
Protests in Bremen, and other parts of Germany, followed similar protests across Europe which took place in April. The protests which took place in the German city of Bremen this Sunday highlighted once again the continued military presence of the Turkish state in Kurdistan. In particular, activists condemned the latest attack of the Turkish state … Read more
Restricted freedom of expression, a gagged press or disempowered constitutional courts – as a rule, these are characteristics of autocracies. But the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s latest Transformation Index shows that the rule of law and political freedoms are also being eroded in an increasing number of democracies. The main causes are abuse of power and cronyism, … Read more
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has faced mounting criticism for the continued construction of a palace in Ahlat, province of Bitlis, on the shores of Lake Van. The Palace is set to cost 125 million Turkish Lira. The growing death toll of Covid-19 and a lack of medical resources in Turkey has prompted critics to point … Read more
The Trustee appointed to oversee the municipality of Amed (Diyarbakir), after the much criticised arrest of the democratically elected mayor, has been criticised after the circulation of fake disinfectant was uncovered. The city is a majority Kurdish city and the scandal has vindicated many who feel that the state’s weak response to Covid-19 has been … Read more
Eleven opposition parties including the HDP have expressed strong opposition to the new Criminal Enforcement bill planned by the Turkish state. The bill makes provisions for the release of prisoners during the Corona crisis but crucially excludes the release of political prisoners. Opposition parties have branded this exclusion as a cruel denial of political prisoners’ … Read more
Activists, civil society members and medical professionals are calling on the Turkish state to free prisoners in the wake of the Corona virus crisis. The confined and crowded conditions in Turkish prisons have lead doctors like Dr. Kamuran Yıldırım to liken them to morgues. Dr. Yıldırım’s wife, Gülser Yıldırım, is one of the many political … Read more