Tag: Turkey

Turkey allocates only 10 out of 20,000 teaching positions for Kurdish language

The Turkish Ministry of Education’s decision to allocate only 10 positions for Kurdish language teachers out of 20,000 new teaching positions has sparked significant backlash, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported. Last year the ministry appointed 50 Kurdish teachers under a program titled “Living Languages and Dialects.” This year, the number was reduced to 10, comprising six… Read More Turkey allocates only 10 out of 20,000 teaching positions for Kurdish language

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Secular Opposition Crushes Islamist AKP in Turkey’s Local Elections

ARZU GEYBULLAYEVA ( Globalvoices.org ) – Turkey’s local elections which took place on March 31, will go down in history as one of its most surprising. Turkey’s demoralized opposition, namely the [secular] Republican People’s Party (CHP), dominated in what many pundits described as the ruling [center-right] Justice and Development Party’s worst defeat of its 22-year existence. For the first time since 1977, the CHP took… Read More Secular Opposition Crushes Islamist AKP in Turkey’s Local Elections

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Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

At least 996 women in Turkey have been killed by men since the country’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at combating domestic violence, while 748 women have died under suspicious circumstances, Turkish Minute reported, citing a report by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform (KCDP). March 20 marks the third… Read More Femicides: 2000 Turkish women killed by men since Erdogan left Womens Rights Convention

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Power over principle: Turkey’s skin-deep opposition

Kaya Genç Power to the powerful, contempt for the weak: in replicating this rule of Turkish politics, the opposition CHP differs in no way from Erdoğan’s AKP. Indeed, in persecuting all critics of the Turkish state, the Islamists are simply re-enacting the republican legacy. Pessimism derives from pessimus, the Latin for ‘the worst’. In the days leading… Read More Power over principle: Turkey’s skin-deep opposition

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Varlık at 90: Culture depends on the suspension of power

A Turkish literary institution turns 90: reflections on Varlık’s evolution and achievements, as well as notable omissions Eurozine Review Only ten years younger than the Republic of Turkey itself, Varlık devotes its July issue to an accounting of the journal’s first 90 years. In its early days Varlık marched in step with the modernising spirit of the new order… Read More Varlık at 90: Culture depends on the suspension of power

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Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: Turkey’s opposition leader is leading in the polls

Turkey’s general election on Sunday, May 14 will see voters cast their ballots for 600 members of its parliament and the country’s powerful presidency. This election has become intensely competitive in a country which has undergone severe democratic erosion over the past decade, but may now be looking for change. Turkish president, and previously prime minister, Recep… Read More Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: Turkey’s opposition leader is leading in the polls

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With over 20,000 dead, can President Erdogan Survive Turkey’s Earthquake Politically?

JUAN COLE Monday’s massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake in south-central Turkey, in which at least 20,000 have died — and probably tens of thousands more — has shocked that country and the world. It inescapably has political implications, with Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for mid-May. President Tayyip Recep Erdogan is facing widespread criticism for… Read More With over 20,000 dead, can President Erdogan Survive Turkey’s Earthquake Politically?

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Desperation and anger grow in search for Turkey and Syria earthquake survivors. Death toll nears 8400

Anger has mounted in Turkey over what was described as a slow and inadequate response by authorities to the powerful earthquake that also hit neighbouring Syria, as the death toll passed 8,000 and chances of finding survivors narrowed. Rescuers worked through the night on Wednesday, searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings, while freezing conditions, destroyed roads… Read More Desperation and anger grow in search for Turkey and Syria earthquake survivors. Death toll nears 8400

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Turkey’s Endless Test with Artistic Freedom: The Case of Sezen Aksu

Deniz Polat Ankara University On New Year’s Day, Sezen Aksu, Turkey’s most famous composer/lyricist/singer artist, released a new version of an old song, “Living is a Wonderful Thing” on YouTube. The release antagonized pro-government religious groups in Turkey, and a huge debate erupted in the country. The reason for the controversy is the following lyrics: “With… Read More Turkey’s Endless Test with Artistic Freedom: The Case of Sezen Aksu

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In Turkey, Pop Singer arrested for Offending Clerics

By Arzu Geybullayeva Police in Turkey have arrested pop singer Gülşen (full name Gülşen Colakoglu), 46, pending trial, over a comment she made about religious schools, months ago during one of her concert. Last April, Gülşen, joked about one of her colleagues’ Imam Hatip past during a concert in Istanbul. Imam Hatip high schools are Islamic religious education institutions originally… Read More In Turkey, Pop Singer arrested for Offending Clerics

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