The number of journalists imprisoned across the globe for their work has hit a record high in 2017, the annual prison census report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has revealed. A total of 262 journalists were put behind prison bars globally in 2017 as against last year’s historical record of 259. It said … Read more
The Pentagon on Monday criticized Turkey’s plans to purchase a Russian air-defense system instead of investing in NATO technology. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in talks to get Russia to supply Ankara with its latest S-400 surface-to-air missile system. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said the Pentagon had concerns over its NATO ally’s … Read more
John Bass has been posted in Turkey since 2014, and has steered US-Turkey relations through an unsuccessful coup attempt and tensions over Syria and the presence in the United States of a rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan US President Donald Trump on Thursday named veteran diplomat John Bass as his choice to become … Read more
US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for a failed coup attempt a year ago, told French TV Tuesday that he did not believe he would be extradited to Turkey. Turkey marked the first anniversary of the attempted putsch on Saturday with mass rallies and bellicose speeches by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who told … Read more
Saturday is a sad moment in Turkish history as it marks one year since the deplorable coup attempt that resulted in the death of hundreds and injuries of thousands. On this occasion I reiterate my condemnation of the despicable putsch and its perpetrators, and extend my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones affected … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given emotional speeches to tens of thousands of people a year after a coup attempt was faced down in the streets. Mr Erdogan praised those people, including MPs, who had defended democracy and his government. He backed the death penalty for coup plotters and said they should wear Guantanamo … Read more
Events will be held in Turkey later to mark the first anniversary of a failed coup in which at least 260 people died and 2,196 were wounded. A faction of the army tried to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but the attempt collapsed. Since the coup, the government has dismissed more than 150,000 … Read more
US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the man blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt a year ago, on Friday again denied any involvement in what he called a “despicable putsch,” and called on Ankara to end its “witch hunt” of his followers. “Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless, politically motivated … Read more
An Ankara academic and teacher who have been on hunger strike for over four months after being sacked in the wake of Turkey’s failed coup have emerged as symbols of the biggest purge in the country’s history. Academic Nuriye Gulmen and teacher Semih Ozakca were fired by a government decree under the state of emergency … Read more
Last year’s failed coup attempt in Turkey is nothing but a false flag orchestrated by Turkey’s autocratic President Recep Tayip Erdoğan and his henchmen to create a pretext for a mass persecution of critics and opponents in a state of perpetual emergency, a new detailed study titled ‘July 15: Erdoğan’s Coup’ by Stockholm Center for … Read more
It’s the app Ankara says provided the messaging hub for many of the suspected plotters who took part in last year’s failed coup. Thousands of people have been arrested simply on charges of downloading it, including a top UN judge and the chairman of Amnesty International in Turkey. An NBA star is also charged with … Read more
Turkey will find it “comforting” if the EU says it cannot be accepted as a member, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the BBC. Speaking to HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi, he said Turkey was “able to stand on its own two feet”. He also denied the country had jailed 150 journalists, saying only two people with … Read more
Just before midnight on July 15, 2016, a tear-stained anchorwoman, clearly under duress, appeared on Turkish state television to announce the purported seizure of power by the army. Shortly after she read the statement — said to be in the name of the armed forces — war planes bombed Ankara and tanks surged into the … Read more
A year ago, a faction in the Turkish army staged a failed coup bid against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prompting a widespread crackdown on his opponents. The country was shaken and 249 people died in the botched putsch, which Erdogan blamed on Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States. Following are key … Read more
The consequences of the failed July 15 coup in Turkey increased Ankara’s international isolation, exposing shortcomings in the government’s sometimes overambitious foreign policy, analysts say. NATO member and EU membership hopeful Turkey had expected an outpouring of solidarity after the coup attempt one year ago aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which Ankara blames … Read more
Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Monday visited a jailed MP in an Istanbul prison, a day after finishing a nearly one month long “justice march” in a show of solidarity with the detained lawmaker. Kilicdaroglu, head of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), visited journalist-turned lawmaker Enis Berberoglu in his prison in the Istanbul … Read more
Austria said Monday it had barred Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci from entering the country to attend a rally marking the anniversary of last year’s failed coup attempt in Turkey. “He has been barred because his visit was not planned as part of a bilateral exchange, but was about his public appearance at an event … Read more
Turkey marks one year on July 15 since a coup attempt aiming to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that failed within hours but etched far-reaching consequences into its society and politics. The country is in the throes of the biggest purge in its history against alleged coup supporters while Erdogan has seen his grip on … Read more
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party was on Sunday to address a mass rally in Istanbul at the culmination of an almost month-long march, in a rare challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), launched an unprecedented 450-kilometre (280 mile) trek on June 15 … Read more
The defence minister of Qatar is to visit its ally Turkey on Friday, state media reported, as Ankara resists pressure to shutter a military base in the emirate’s unresolved row with Gulf neighbours. Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah will meet with Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik at the defence ministry in Ankara, the state-run news agency … Read more