A spectacular closing ceremony for Turkish Language Olympiads took place at İstanbul Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium.
Date posted: June 19, 2013
A spectacular closing ceremony at İstanbul Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadium in front of 200,000 spectators for the 11th Turkish Language Olympiads has left bittersweet memories, signaling the end of a two-week festival full of poetry, dance, Turkish culture and music.
Participants, who came from 130 countries, in this year’s competition wrapped up the two-week long finals that were held across Turkey in İstanbul, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also in attendance, praising organizers and congratulating students.
In address to the audience, Erdoğan slammed violent protesters amid approval roar of thousands of spectators. He said the ‘real Turkey’ representing the most parts of Turkey gathered at the stadium.
Praising the organizers of the event and thousands of Turkish teachers who contributed to spread of use of Turkish as a global language abroad, Erdoğan said the struggle is for reaching world peace.
He also hailed Fethullah Gülen movement, a faith-based social movement that focuses on education, inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue, for its contribution to world peace.
GYV’s dialogue center not returned despite court order
Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) officials were forced to leave its affiliate Intercultural Dialogue Center (KADIM) office in the Eyüp district of İstanbul despite a court order ruling that GYV could return to the premises after the dialogue center was unlawfully evacuated by municipal police on Dec. 26, 2014.
It is a great loss that Turkish Olympiads were not held in Turkey
The efforts of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) municipalities and districts to ensure that the Turkish Olympiads were not held in Turkey this year led to some strong reaction. Former Foreign Minister Yaşar Yakış, also one of the founders of the AK Party, expressed his sorrow about the obstacles that were deliberately manufactured to hinder the organization of the event.
Corruption scandal will consolidate Turkish democracy
” When all the dust settles in the aftermath of corruption, money laundering and racketeering involving higher-ups in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), we will have the chance to lay the foundation for a democracy by consensus, which is the only way to rule a large country like Turkey with a relatively young population and rising middle class.”
Toward a party state
At this point, the only thing Erdoğan can do is manufacture false charges and evidence against the Hizmet movement, which wouldn’t be persuasive. In a normal democratic state where the rule of law is cherished, there must be concrete evidence to press charges against anyone, and those so charged are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty. In a party state, however, imaginary charges are first voiced and then meddlesome public authorities manufacture crimes and criminals to fit those charges.
Tables Have Turned for Some Media in Turkish Crackdown
Mr. Kenes says he should have been more outspoken in defense of fellow journalists when the government started targeting its critics more than a decade ago. “Frankly, we did not realize Mr. Erdogan’s real intentions,” said Mr. Kenes, who was convicted last year of insulting the president on Twitter and given a 21-month suspended prison sentence. “When I look at my history, I criticize myself for not showing more sympathy for their cases.”
Turkey investigating 4,167 Gülen followers in 110 countries
At least 4,167 people in 110 countries are being investigated in Turkey over their links to the Gülen movement, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday.
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