The anger of the juvenile judge

For nineteen years, Umran Tan worked as a judge in a Turkish children’s court. She expressed her frustrations about the failures of Turkish juvenile law in a much discussed short film. ‘The Turkish system directs children straight into adult law.’

(published in Amnesty Internationals monthly magazine ‘Wordt Vervolgd’)

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The attraction of a Turkish school

Dutch-Turkish teenagers still move to Turkey to attend secondary school, to let them get acquainted with Turkish culture more thoroughly, to prevent them from going astray, but mostly because over there they have a better chance of getting a good education. Sema (16): “I came here to concentrate on my studies.”

(published in Volkskrant Magazine, weekly magazine of major Dutch daily …

Around the world

(For monthly magazine Onze Wereld – Our World – I often write short interviews that are used in bigger articles to which different correspondents contribute. My interviews are used alongside interviews on the same subject with people from countries in south-America, Asia and Africa.)

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“Torture increasing in Turkey”

(written for news agency ANP)

ISTANBUL – The Turkish Ministry of Justice is opening an investigation into the death of an arrested man who allegedly died after severe torture. Turkish human rights organisations don’t have much confidence in the

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Turkish opposition wants debate on corruption

ISTANBUL – One of Turkey’s opposition leaders, Deniz Baykal, wants a television debate on an alleged corruption scandal in which governing party AKP is involved. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not responding to the offer.

Erdogan hopes that the scandal will blow over, but in the meantime it has kept Turkish politics and media enthralled for

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“My husband was married off”

Mariska married the love of her life, Turkish man Ayhan. He moved to Holland, and everything seemed fine. That is, until he went to visit his family for a vacation and was promptly married off.

(published in women’s weekly ‘Viva’)

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The divisive dilemma facing Turkish feminists

Anyone who is pro womens’ rights in Turkey is almost automatically against more rights for women wearing a headscarf. Ever since devout Muslims gained political and economic power, Turkish feminists have been in an awkward position.

The fact that it was the political party representing devout Muslims that lifted the headscarf ban at universities makes Handan Koç angry. “Of course”, says …

Karataş was one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorists

ISTANBUL – With the death of Dursun Karataş, who died in the Netherlands last Monday of cancer, one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorists has left the stage. Karataş, leader of the far-left DHKP-C, lived in various European countries with a false identity since he escaped from an Istanbul prison in 1990. Whether the death of Karataş also means the end …

Turkish hospital in trouble over infant deaths

ISTANBUL – One of the most modern hospitals in Turkey is under intense scrutiny after 27 newborn babies died over a fifteen day period. The Ankara state hospital declared the babies (some of them premature) had infections that can’t be blamed on the hospital, but experts doubt that. The Health Ministry is conducting an investigation.

The hospital has one

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Meanwhile, at TRT… a game show

A game show. State broadcaster TRT 1 is broadcasting a game show after the announcement that governing AK Party will not be closed down for anti-secular activities. TRT 2 and 3 are not much better: faithfully the TRT cameras (the only ones allowed in parliament) are recording parliamentary proceedings. Interesting, a debate about education.
But of course, TRT is not …