Kurd rebel leader calls ceasefire

I contributed to an article in the English paper The Independent about PKK leader Öcalan calling a ceasefire. Here’s a PDF!

Court case on use of Kurdish in politics draws varied reactions

Analysts see ruling as a positive symbolic step, but its practical impact is unclear. The Constitutional Court decision easing restrictions on use of Kurdish in political activities has received mixed interpretations, with observers offering cautious praise amid lingering uncertainty over the ruling’s legal ramifications.

The decision, which went into effect last week after being issued in July 2012, overturned article …

Former Turkish army chief in custody

ISTANBUL – On Thursday morning the former chief of general staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi was taken into custody in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. He is suspected of involvement in the so-called ‘post-modern coup’ of February 1997, in which the army forced the government to step down.

Karadayi was chief of general staff between 1994 and 1998. During his term, in 1996, …

Adana increases in importance in Syria politics

ISTANBUL – The Dutch Patriots, which might be stationed in Turkey as soon as early in the new year to protect Turkey against artillery fire from over the Syrian border, will probably be stationed near the city of Adana. Adana is Turkey’s fifth biggest city, some hundred kilometres from the Syrian border. Foreign military presence is not unusual there: since …

Parliamentary immunity crisis seen as setback

A move to lift BDP deputies’ immunity hurts prospects for a negotiated settlement of the Kurdish conflict, observers say.

A government proposal to strip immunity from several deputies with ties to the BDP opposition party could force the Kurdish representatives from Turkey’s political process, observers said.

The prime minister office’s recently submitted to parliament of a motion seeking to strip the immunity …

Death penalty remarks find little support

Observers see statements on restoring capital punishment as a political move by Turkey’s leadership and not a serious effort to impose executions.

When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a public debate on reinstating the death penalty recently, few people took it as a sign he plans to bring the practice back.

But his statements have caused a pitched debate, …

Prison hunger strikes end without agreements

At least 1,700 people, including more than 680 prisoners, joined the strike before it ended on Sunday.

The brother of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan told SES Türkiye that a two-month hunger strike by hundreds of Kurdish prisoners ended to save the lives of the weakening prisoners, many who have been ingesting only tea and sugared water.

“To avoid death the strike …

Slowly but surely

In Turkey, the need for reform is large – as is the country’s capacity to implement these reforms. So, how effectively does governance in Turkey serve the needs of present and future generations, asks Fréderike Geerdink.

Let’s start with the good news. Starting with the bad news would mean stating that Turkey is performing rather badly when comparing OECD countries …

‘Poison found on remains President Özal’

ISTANBUL – The investigation into the death of the Turkish President Turgut Özal, who died of a heart attack in 1993, continues. The head of the judicial forensic service, Haluk Ince, said that on Friday at a press conference. He denied earlier reports in the media that the ‘rat poison’ strycchine was found on the remains of Özal.

Ince said ‘some …

Hunger strikes in Turkish prisons reach critical phase

Kurdish prisoners’ hunger strike grips Turkey as their health conditions deteriorate.

Hundreds of mostly Kurdish prisoners are nearing the 50th day of what they call an “indefinite and irreversible hunger strike,” launched to draw attention to political demands.

About 680 prisoners in 58 prisons across the country have joined the strike since it started September 12th, according to media reports. More …