Keyword: Turkey
Latin American firms seek Turkey investments at TUSKON meet
A total of 80 businesspeople from 10 Latin American countries met in Turkey’s Kayseri province on Tuesday to discuss investment and trade opportunities with local counterparts in a new “trade bridge” event held by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).
Gülen’s lawyer denies client facing arrest warrant or extradition
Nurullah Albayrak, lawyer for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has said that there is no criminal investigation, pending prosecution or any other judicial process ongoing in Turkey related to his client, refuting claims raised once again by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about Gülen’s possible extradition from the US, where he now lives.
Police officer reassigned for attending dershane picnic
The Interior Ministry has reassigned police officer H.D., who worked at the National Police Department’s Anti-terrorism Unit in Ankara, on the grounds that he and his child attended a picnic organized by a dershane (private preparatory school) affiliated with the faith-based Hizmet movement.
Turkey’s tryst with democracy (2)
The anti-Hizmet moorings of the Erdoğan-led AK Party were present since the formation of the AK Party government in 2002. It is evident from the “secret deal” signed between the military establishment and the Erdoğan government concerning the profiling of Hizmet volunteers that led to the crackdown on Hizmet.
Tape politics
Someone placed a bugging device to wiretap the prime minister in a room that was being placed under constant surveillance. What is easier than catching the perpetrators behind this? Who entered and left the room should have been recorded. This incident took place in 2011 but as of now, this still remains unresolved and the Hizmet movement is being blamed for it.
Proof of the ‘parallel state’
Referring to a news story that appeared in the pro-government media about unfounded allegations about the police, Bülent Arınç, the second man in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), had said, “A dignified person should not speak without evidence.” Arınç’s words are now being used by opposition parties to criticize the prime minister.
Turkey’s tryst with democracy (1)
All of Erdoğan’s recent acts reflect a serious deficit of democracy in the ruling government. These acts include making bogus claims of a parallel structure; targeting institutions linked to Fethullah Gülen’s Hizmet movement; embark on a massive reshuffle of thousands of officials without any reasonable grounds; changing the structure of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) to subjugate the judiciary; openly interfering in the media; strengthening the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and bringing it under the direct control of the prime minister; banning Twitter and YouTube; and speaking with a threatening, bullying and polarizing tone.
Alienating Turkey
Pro-government media outlets publish reports and news stories that are dark propaganda. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and leading party figures make unfounded accusations directed at the Hizmet movement at every opportunity. In Turkey, when people want to hide something and divert attention, they create a virtual agenda and you are asked to follow the distortionist.
The story of the government media’s smear campaign against Hizmet
The pro-government media — or more correctly the “government media,” as it has become apparent that they have been bought by businessmen under orders from the prime minister — has manufactured and published lies about the Hizmet movement, which has a four-decade proud history in Turkey, in an attempt to create the perception that it is a criminal organization.
Judge says judiciary still under tutelage, implies gov’t responsible
Even the simplest court decisions are subject to discussion and the trust in the judiciary has been badly damaged. Everyone, including the judiciary and executive bodies, should put forward documents and evidence related to the claims [of the existence of a parallel state],” Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç stated.
Turkey Regulator Demands Bank Asya Information Before Sukuks (1)
Turkey’s Capital Markets Board has asked to be informed of future issues, Cengiz Onder, head of investor relations at Bank Asya, said in a phone interview today from Istanbul. An official at the board, asking not to be named under government policy, said it’s seeking further documentation from Bank Asya before sales can resume, without giving further comment.
Claims about TİB plot to libel Hizmet spark massive reaction
Jurists and politicians reacted harshly to a claim in an email by an anonymous whistleblower from the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), the agency responsible for carrying out legal wiretaps, that there is a conspiracy to bring the Hizmet movement under suspicion of infiltrating TİB.
