Report by UK lawmakers and legal experts finds ample evidence of Turkey’s breach of ECHR.

Report by UK lawmakers and legal experts finds ample evidence of Turkey’s breach of ECHR. HT: TodaysZaman.


A report prepared by UK lawmakers and legal experts upon the request of the Turkish Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) that they investigate violations of the rule of law and persecutions targeting the Gülen movement concluded that there is ample evidence to establish breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and other treaties to which Turkey is a party.

During a discussion on Thursday of the findings of the report, which was prepared by the Rt. Hon. Lord Harry Woolf CH, Professor Sir Jeffrey Jowell KCMG QC, the Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Garnier QC MP and Sarah Palin, a practicing barrister in London, GYV representative Fatih Ceran said the authors of the report consider the witch hunts and other illegal actions targeting institutions affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, to be cases of discrimination, according to the ECHR.

Summarizing breaches of human rights and the rule of law in Turkey, which have targeted the Gülen movement in particular since December 2013, the approximately 100-page report stated that these violations “represent a serious setback for Turkish democracy and its respect for human rights.”

The authors of the report stress that they were asked by the GYV to conduct an independent desk-based inquiry into the actions of the Turkish government, its institutions and its officials against supporters of the Gülen movement. Read the full story here.

Related: 'Advanced Islamist Democracy' Turkey preparing to target the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

'Sometimes NATO Ally' risk rupture in Turkey’s ties with Germany.

'Sometimes NATO Ally' risk rupture in Turkey’s ties with Germany.(TZ).

The main challenge the Islamists in the Turkish government and their ringmaster President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have in recent years brought upon bilateral ties with Germany -- the powerhouse of the European Union and Turkey's largest trading partner -- is their promotion through state-sponsored activities of a hostile brand of political Islamist ideology amid the Turkish and Muslim diaspora.

When his popularity waned at home, Erdoğan turned to highly divisive and hateful politics to sustain his rule in the hope of consolidating the support of Sunni Turks behind the AKP government. He did not mind at all exporting these divisions to Germany. His hostile narrative stigmatizing Alevis, Kurds and moderate groups such as members of the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has been reflected in the community of some 3 million Turks living in Germany. Just like he abused the reins of state power to provoke vulnerable groups in Turkey, he tried to do the same in German society with relentless clandestine activities.

The German government knew long ago how corrupt a politician Erdoğan is before the details of the massive corruption investigations into his graft network were exposed in December 2013. Although German intelligence had a clear understanding of the corruption scheme, the 2007 Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) charity case that was tried under the German criminal justice system provided the first public snapshot into Erdoğan's dealings.

The suspects that embezzled millions of euros from Germany's Turks were convicted and the charity's assets were confiscated. German prosecutor Kerstin Lötz said, “The main suspects are in Turkey,” and sent the case file to Turkey. Yet the AKP government covered up the scandal by hushing up the Turkish leg of the investigation into the charity group and cleared all suspects. Had the case been pursued, it would have led to the conviction of senior Islamists in the AKP government.

The second and perhaps more troubling concern emerged within the German security establishment when Turkey's neck-deep involvement in supporting radical groups fighting to topple Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria reached out to expatriates in Germany. Erdoğan's secret support for radical groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Jabhat al-Nusra and the Ahrar al-Sham was closely monitored by German intelligence.

Several test cases where Turkey failed to turn over high-profile ISIL suspects detained by Turkish police and wanted in Germany but instead let them join ISIL's ranks in Syria convinced Chancellor Angela Merkel's government that Erdoğan is simply playing a duplicitous game regarding the security of its allies.

The main group being watched closely by German intelligence for some time is the Ahrar al-Sham, a Turkey-backed group that has attracted more Turks to its ranks than any other radical group fighting in Syria. After intense pressure from NATO allies, Islamists in Turkey have by and large scaled down their support to al-Nusra since the summer of 2014 in favor of trying to prop up the Ahrar al-Sham as the main fighting force against al-Assad's regime. Erdoğan unsuccessfully tried to convince allies that the anti-ISIL battle should include support for the Ahrar al-Sham, which Turkey's Islamists described as moderate.

Who can blame the German government for growing suspicious about Turkey's real intentions? Last year's leaked audio of a high-level security meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry about possible military action in Syria via a false-flag operation that was leaked by the US's National Security Agency (NSA) was a public reminder of that rift with Turkey. In the recording, senior officials including then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and MİT head Hakan Fidan discussed how Turkey could start a war with Syria, what the legal grounds would be to do so and if it would be possible to create a pretext to deliberately drag Turkey and by extension NATO into a war with Syria. They also discussed a false-flag operation by having mortars firing into Turkey from Syria to ostensibly create the legal grounds for a war.

Turkey has come to a “make or break” point under the Islamist regime that effectively staged a coup by shelving the Constitution, suspending the rule law and trampling fundamental rights. If Erdoğan gets his wish via early elections to continue ruling this nation of 78 million people in an unchecked and unrestrained fashion, and therefore ensures the continuation of the same approach with radical and violent religious groups, we are likely to see a more serious rupture in relations with not only Germany but also other allies and partners across the world. Read the full story here.

Erdogan - Genesis 12:3 - 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse'

Erdogan: Fly for freedom. Doves turn back. #brussels #turkey

A video posted by val_pop (@val_pop) on Oct 4, 2015 at 11:15am PDT

'Advanced Islamist Democracy' Turkey preparing to target the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

'Advanced Islamist Democracy' Turkey preparing to target the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). HT: TodaysZaman.

Domestic remedies for rights violations have practically been exhausted, with the top criminal and administrative courts in Turkey as well as the Constitutional Court in shackles as hostages to the whims and emotions of the country's ruling Islamist elites.

Erdoğan's plan is to acquire a super majority for his favorite Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Parliament so that he can overhaul the Constitution as he wishes, including securing an executive presidency.

That will also give Erdoğan the power to annul Article 90 of the Constitution, which says the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) prevails over domestic legislation in the event of conflict. 

As long as the ECHE is part of the law of the land in Turkey in the form of constitutional articles, Erdoğan will always find it difficult to establish his dictatorial regime under a political Islamist regime.

The fact that Turkey accepted the right of individuals to make applications to the ECtHR In 1987 and recognized the jurisdiction of the court in 1990 will become meaningless in that case. Hmmmm.......It's high time EU[rabia] wakes up and smells the Islamist dictatorial coffee. Do they really believe a kid that used to run around with 'Mein Kamp' under his arm will become an example of democracy? Read the full story here.

'Advanced Democracy' - Turkey's 'Supreme leader' demands constitution be adapted to his powers.

'Advanced Democracy' - Turkey's 'Supreme leader' demands constitution be adapted to his powers.(HD).

Turkey has witnessed a change in the president’s new role, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Aug. 14, asking that the constitution be updated to recognize his de facto deployment of enhanced powers.

“There is a president with de facto power in the country, not a symbolic one. The president should conduct his duties for the nation directly, but within his authority. Whether one accepts it or not, Turkey’s administrative system has changed. Now, what should be done is to update this de facto situation in the legal framework of the constitution,” Erdoğan said in the Black Sea province of Rize.

The president also said he would continue to attend and speak at collective opening ceremonies for various facilities. “From now on, I’ll be there. You won’t be able to cut my ties with my nation,” he said.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) will meet the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and if the parliament does not go to early elections, then he will seek ways for snap elections, Erdoğan stated. Hmmmm.....'L'Etat c'est moi'. Read the full story here.

Emails: Obama Administration DOJ, FBI, IRS Discussed Prosecuting Tea party Groups.

Emails: Obama Administration DOJ, FBI, IRS Discussed Prosecuting Tea party Groups. (JudicialWatch).

Newly released documents show Department of Justice officials, Internal Revenue Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials were discussing prosecuting nonprofit organizations for allegedly engaging in illegal political activity.

An official “DOJ Recap” document obtained by the group Judicial Watch details an Oct. 8, 2010 meeting between DOJ, IRS and FBI officials, including Lois Lerner, where the administration employees discussed “several possible theories to bring criminal charges under FEC law” against groups “posing” as tax exempt nonprofits.

“The section’s attorneys expressed concern that certain section 501(c) organizations are actually political committees ‘posing’ as if they are not subject to FEC law, and therefore may be subject to criminal liability,” reads the memo from IRS Exempt Organizations Tax Law Specialist Siri Buller to top IRS officials.

Lerner, who was forced out of the IRS in 2013 amid a scandal that the IRS was targeting conservative groups, and her top aide Judy Kindell, explained to DOJ and FBI officials that “although we do not believe that organizations which are subject to a civil audit subsequently receive any type of immunity from a criminal investigation, she will refer them to individuals from [Criminal Investigations] who can better answer that question.” Read the full story here.

Hmmm........Text of Presidential oath of office

 "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"New Advanced Democracy" - Turkish intelligence agency to screen telecommunications staff.

"New Advanced Democracy" - Turkish intelligence agency to screen telecommunications staff. (Bugun).

Personnel being hired by private telecommunications firms will now require approval by the Turkish Intelligence Agency.

Minister of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications Lütfi Elvan announced that Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency (MİT) will now be screening personnel hired by private telecommunications firms according to media reports.

“The government will be taking some precautions regarding Turkcell, Avea, Vodafone and Turk Telekom,” said Elvan, adding that anyone to work at GSM operators would be subject to approval by MİT and relevant security agencies. Elvan cited the December 2013 wiretaps that had exposed alleged government corruption as justification for this decision.

Critics are concerned that this degree of intrustion into GSM personnel would give MİT the opportunity to monitor the conversations of anyone with a cell phone in Turkey.

MİT has previously been accused of illegally monitoring the conversations of journalists, including reporters and columnists of Turkish daily Taraf. Hmmm.....It's becoming obvious Islamist Turkey is turning in to a Dictatorship where only 'trusted' AKP members will get a state job.

Ninety US Congress members urge Kerry to press 'New advanced democracy' Turkey for freer media

Ninety US Congress members urge Kerry to press 'New advanced democracy' Turkey for freer media.(FOT).

A large number of members of the US Congress have voiced concerns on the recent arrest of media members in Turkey and called on Secretary of State John Kerry to press the Turkish government to secure press freedom in the country.

In a letter to Kerry, 90 members of Congress stated that they are “deeply concerned” with the recent arrest of journalists, underlining the Turkish government’s steps to “intimidate, arrest and smother” critical voices as being a threat to the very democratic principles that Turkey claims to respect.

The congressional members mentioned a Dec. 14 operation that targeted the managers of the Zaman and Samanyolu media outlets, saying the charges faced by Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu TV General Manager Hidayet Karaca are “questionable.”

On Dec. 14 of last year, Karaca was detained as part of a police operation that also targeted Dumanlı, police officers, scriptwriters, producers and directors on charges of heading a terrorist group based on a TV series that was broadcast years ago on Samanyolu. The İstanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace ruled on Dec. 19, 2014 for the arrest of Karaca and three former police officers.

The US politicians also listed concerns with the blocking of scores of tweets from Turkish journalists and media outlets after a complaint was filed by a judge over a news story shared through the social media platform. It said some 400 people were monitored on Twitter and “ultimately Turkish access to the social media [site] was blocked.”

Underlining the Turkish government’s earlier attempts to silence opposition voices, the members of Congress said that “recent arrests have had a chilling effect on freedom, democracy, and economic prosperity for all of Turkey.”

“… we strongly urge you to reach out to President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan and his administration to encourage a peaceful and appropriate resolution to these cases. A free media must be supported and protected to foster an environment open to constructive political discussion and to ensure freedom of expression for all the Turkish people,” the Congress members said in the letter to Kerry.

Stressing that Turkey is a strategic ally to the US in the Middle East and a key member of NATO, the politicians expressed hope to see the Turkish government “abandon this course of intimidation and embrace a free press and tolerance of dissenting voices.”

“It is our priority to encourage the Turkish government to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations to their own people,” they said.

Republican Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona, Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri, Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California and Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida are also among the many signatories of the letter.

In addition, US-based watchdog Freedom House has stated that Turkey has drifted further from democratic reforms, with former Prime Minister Erdoğan rising to the presidency and overseeing government attempts to quash corruption cases against his allies and associates as well as greater interference in the media and judiciary.

Releasing its annual “Freedom in the World 2015” report on Jan. 28, Freedom House, which describes itself as “an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world,” heavily criticized the anti-democratic developments in Turkey.

The report, in its section on Europe, stated that in Turkey, Erdoğan “consolidated power during the year and waged an increasingly aggressive campaign against democratic pluralism.”

“He openly demanded that media owners censor coverage or fire critical journalists, told the Constitutional Court he does not respect its rulings, threatened reporters (and rebuked women journalists) and ordered radical, even bizarre changes to the school curriculum. Having risen from the premiership to the presidency in August, he formed a ‘shadow cabinet’ that allows him to run the country from the presidential palace, circumventing constitutional rules and the ministries of his own party’s government,” the report stated.

Erdoğan’s remarks from March 2014 about Twitter were highlighted in the report, in a section titled “Democracy’s opponents,” with a picture of Erdoğan next to it. “We’ll eradicate Twitter. Everyone will witness the power of the Turkish state,” Erdoğan had said in March.

Turkey was listed as a “partly free” country in the report in terms of freedoms in the world and received a rating of 3.5 — 1 being the worst and 7 being the best. Turkey received a 4 in terms of civil liberties and a 3 on political rights. Turkey received a downward trend arrow in the report as well, due to “more pronounced political interference in anticorruption mechanisms and judicial processes, and greater tensions between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Alevis.”

In terms of press freedoms, Turkey was already among the “not free” countries in the most recent press freedom report, which Freedom House released last year. This year’s report also highlighted Erdoğan’s intensified campaign against media freedom and civil society as evidence of growing disdain for democratic standards in the world, along with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s rollback of democratic gains and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Today’s Zaman

#Flash: 90 US Congressmen send a letter Sec Kerry to protest recent journalists arrests in Turkey and @twitter blocks pic.twitter.com/uGZnkFRZzT
— ilhan tanir (@WashingtonPoint) February 5, 2015

Bill to ban websites without court order passes Turkey's 'Advanced Democracy'

Bill to ban websites without court order passes Turkey's 'Advanced Democracy'. (TZ).

A bill proposed by the [IN]Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government seeking the ability to ban websites for 24 hours without a court order upon a demand from the prime minister or a member of the Cabinet was passed by a parliamentary commission on Wednesday. 

The government drafted the bill in order to give the prime minister or a relevant Cabinet minister the ability to ban a website or have specific content removed when public order or national security are at stake because delays in having to obtain a court decision to otherwise do so are “inconvenient.”

According to the bill, when there is online content that "threatens people's right to life, threatens their security or property, threatens national security and public order, poses a threat to general health or threatens people's rights and freedoms," then TİB will demand the content be removed or block the website containing it upon a request from the Prime Ministry or ministry relevant to the case, without seeking a court order. Hmmm..........Erdogan : "I'm not a dictator. It's not even in my blood,"......got recently a blood transfusion? Oh wait there was a sign on the wall "Those who are neutral will be disposed of."Read the full story here.

Erdogan's Turkey - Who will invest in a country that lacks the protection of law?

Erdogan's Turkey - Who will invest in a country that lacks the protection of law? (Bugun). By Gültekin Avcı.

The unlawful intervention to Bank Asya on Tuesday means the countdown for Turkish economy has started.

This is a countdown for collapse.

Despite the lack of any legal justification, the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) has assigned a new board of directors and a general director to Bank Asya – an act that constitutes an assault on law itself.

It is an assault not just against Bank Asya, but also against the property rights of civil society and private sector that refuses to pledge allegiance to the AKP.

In a free market economy, trying to take a bank down with hateful motives and political ambitions is synonymous with signing the death warrant of the market.

It means shooting your own economy in the foot.

It means scolding and chasing foreign capital, telling them, “Don’t you dare come to this country!”

In other words, it means treason.

It takes to be more than an adventurer to invest in a country that lacks the protection of law.

I am not a legal expert, but when I look at the issue from a general legal perspective I see that TMSF’s assignment of a new board of directors and a general director to Bank Asya is a clearly illegal and illegitimate intervention.

Both the TMSF and the abettors of the illegal act have committed a crime.

Erdoğan and the AKP, simply dismiss all laws and regulations as if they are sure there is no judiciary left to answer for.

They couldn’t make Bank Asya fail.

And now they insidiously want to take over the management and bring the bank down from within.

During their term of management they will create with their own hands the conditions –which they just couldn’t bring about otherwise– for confiscation.

You may guess what they plan to do to Bank Asya once the management consists of pro-AKP people.

You would hardly find another example of an outlook this malign, an approach that wants to destroy its own people’s money.

Sending the police before the Bank Asya building plainly exposes their devious intentions.

What are the police doing there?

None of TMSF’s proceedings or other dealings concerning the supervision of or intervention against banks require police involvement.

Is there a criminal investigation? Why are you sending the police?

A person who tries to take down his people’s bank and close his country’s schools is an enemy of his own nation and country.

He is an enemy of the free market, the law and democracy.

Such examples of spite deserve to be in mental institutions, not out there on the street. Read the full story here.

Another 'Zionist plot' - Tulip seeds imported from Israel for gardens of Erdoğan’s lavish palace.

Source

Another 'Zionist plot' - Tulip seeds imported from Israel for gardens of Erdoğan’s lavish palace. (Bugun).

The gardens of the lavish 1000-room 1.4 billion TL Presidential Palace Ak Saray has been decorated with tulips seeds originating from Israel, claims Chamber of Architects Ankara President Candan, in the latest controversy surrounding the palace.

According to Chambers of Architects Ankara President Tezcan Karakuş Candan over 100,000 seasonal tulips costing TL 400,000 have been planted at the gardens of the Presidential Palace Ak Saray. “We believe that the seeds of these are from Israel," he said, noting that 90% of the landscaping -- fruit trees included -- imported from other countries also come from Israel.

The Chamber of Architects Ankara President also noted that the gardens of the palace are decorated with seasonal plants, changing every three months. “We only looked at the tulips planted at the gardens for three months, but the cost other plants, and the requirements for different seasons we estimate the cost to cost over TL 1.5 million.”

Aside from being a budget hog, the presidential palace was built on a preserve forest area, in spite of a court order against the construction. Citing a lack of disclosure on the exact expenditures of AK Saray, Candan expressed, “We will continue to share the information we get to the public.” Hmmm.....If it is indeed seeds they planted it will take years to bloom, I expect the 'Zionist plot' theories to bloom way faster........On the other hand if they bought bulbs......G_d knows whats hidden in those things by the Mossad?

Keeping 'White elephant' ‘Ak Saray’ warm costs as much as heating an entire province.

Keeping 'White elephant' ‘Ak Saray’ warm costs as much as heating an entire province.(Bugun).

The Ankara branch of the Architects’ Chamber declared that the 1000+ room Presidential Palace AK Saray's heating alone costs TL 10 million over six months; good enough to heat the Turkish province of Bayburt.

The heating cost of the newly built presidential palace “Ak Saray” is more than a city in Turkey, Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects’ Chambers (TMMOB) announced on Wednesday.

Expressing the heating cost of the palace for six months is TL 10 million, Candan said “The cost was calculated by our specialists from Urban Monitoring Center. Calculation survey was done by thinking of base of six months of winter and six months of summer season.”

Underlining that they had revealed the minimum heating cost of the palace, Candan added “The heating cost estimated is for 12 hours daily. Probably it will be heated for 24 hours, but the calculations were carried out at the least cost.”

Adding that the cost is good enough to heat eastern Turkish province of Bayburt; Candan said “Ak Saray’s seasonal heating cost corresponds to 8,300 households. If we consider that each household has four members, you could keep 34,000 people warm. This would mean you could heat up all of Bayburt province for one season.” Hmmmm.....I'm starting to wonder how many human lives Erdogan's 'ambitions' will cost the world.

AK Party deputy defends nepotism with 'The Koran told us so'

AK Party deputy defends nepotism with 'The Koran told us so' (TZ).

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Adıyaman deputy Mehmet Metiner has defended alleged ruling AK Party nepotism using a verse from the Quran, saying that the verse orders people to favor their relatives.

A video recently being circulated by the media features Metiner being interviewed by a local TV station two months ago.

Mustafa Aloğlu, the host of “Aloğlu ile Bakış Açısı” (Point of View with Aloğlu), which airs on a station operating in Adıyaman province called Mercan TV, asked Metiner about claims that the relatives of AK Party deputies and high-ranking government officials are appointed to public positions without having to take the State Personnel Examination (KPSS).

In response, Metiner said: “We are religious people, aren't we? When we attend the Friday player each week, the verse saying ‘Protect and favor your relatives' is read during the Friday sermon.”

Aloğlu then asked the deputy whether AK Party members legitimize their nepotism with Quranic verses. After remaining silent for a while, Metiner responded by saying, “If you also oppose God's verse, I don't know what more to say.” Read the full story here.


Hmmm.......Compare to Christianity: in Timothy 3:5 we read, "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?" Managing your family is caring for each member, teaching them God's ways, leading them to grow in the Lord, and equipping them for adult life. Prayer is an important element in this process. A family who has a heart of prayer for each other will have a heart of prayer for the world. - No mention to make him member of the board :)

"Zum Befehl mein Fuhrer" - Davutoğlu to not attend Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association meetings.

"Zum Befehl mein Fuhrer" - Davutoğlu to not attend Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association meetings. (Bugun).

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced on Wednesday, that he will not attend Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD) meetings which scheduled to hold on Jan. 22.

Davutoğlu’s announcement came just one day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told he will not attend TÜSİAD meetings in response to its chairman said TÜSİAD works with the prime minister, not the president.

“Now if we are not their interlocutor, we will not attend their meetings,” Erdoğan has told.

His statements come during a meeting with the Turkish Confederation of Labor Unions (Türk-İş) in response to TÜSİAD Chairman Haluk Dinçer's interview with the same daily on Monday.

During the interview, Dinçer has told that the association does not have any problem with Erdoğan and association works with the prime minister and ministers related to the organization's efforts, not the president.

Related: "L'etat C'est Moi" - Erdoğan again at odds with Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association.

"Freedom of Movement?" - Turkish union members now need extra visa for travel abroad

"Freedom of Movement?" - Turkish union members now need extra visa for travel abroad. (RD).

The Turkish Union of Engineers’ and Architects’ Chambers (TMMOB) have been a driving force behind social movements in the last couple of years.

Starting with the Gezi Park protests, TMMOB has been well known by almost everyone in Turkey as well as many people outside of Turkey.

The AKP government has been uneasy about the union’s activities, mainly because it has been the main civil society actor in countering the unlawful attempts of the government (such as the third bridge, northern highway, third airport, Gezi Park, etc.)

Over the past two years, government has prepared several draft laws to prevent activities of TMMOB and limit civil society’s involvement in “development plans” of the country. 

The union which consists of technocrats of technical fields prepare and distribute reports on feasibility and sustainability of the plans, and criticize them openly. This being seen as a political stand by the government, has drawn attention at an even greater scale.

The government must be so worried of the union’s international visits in professional circles that they have prepared a new regulation to limit union members’ free travel rights.

Official Paper has cited a new regulation on 24th December saying that members of TMMOB and other chambers will be required to apply for exit-visa to Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, 15 days prior to their participation in an international event.

Upon this request, the ministry will consult to other ministries and ask for opinions whether to allow citizens to travel abroad or not. If the application is not found sufficient or appropriate, the exit-visa will be denied.

On another note, all Turkish citizens are already subject to exit-visas from ministry of internal affairs, which comes as an automatic fee of 15TL ($7~) without applying beforehand, when leaving the country. Hmmmm......What's next Women asking permission to travel without their husband? Keep 'Islamist dictatorship' Turkey out of the European Union. Read the full story here.

Turkish teen accused of insulting Erdogan freed from custody.

#MehmetEmin is free. His mom: "I'm so proud of my son!" #turkey via @ilerihaber: http://t.co/S7DTrahl64 pic.twitter.com/aMpnOWaho7

— Capulcu Tonella (@diehimbeertonis) December 26, 2014

Turkish teen accused of insulting Erdogan freed from custody. (CNS).

A teenager was released from custody on Friday after his arrest for allegedly insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan caused uproar in the country.

The 16-year old student, identified by his initials M.E.A, was taken away from his school on Wednesday and jailed for making a speech during a student protest in which he reportedly said Erdogan was regarded as the "thieving owner of the illegal palace."

A court in the central Turkish city of Konya agreed to free the boy from police custody on Friday, after dozens of lawyers volunteered to defend him and petitioned for his release.

Dogan news agency footage of his release showed the boy being embraced by his mother as he walked through the gates of a detention center. Dozens of his supporters sang and beat a drum in celebration.Read the full story here.

Next hearing in #AliİsmailKorkmaz trial on January 21, 9.30h. #turkey #kayseri

— Capulcu Tonella (@diehimbeertonis) December 26, 2014

Turkey: Turns out that the judge arrested teen 4 insulting Prez Erdogan has a FB page&all pages he likes are of pro-gov media &AKP officials

— NOT MY... (@Meralink) December 26, 2014

'Advanced Islamist' Turkey to be able to close Internet access without court order.

'Advanced Islamist' Turkey to be able to close Internet access without court order. (Taz).

It will be possible to cut off Internet access without a court order if this is demanded by the national security interests, Turkey’s Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Lutfi Elvan said, TRT Haber news channel said Dec. 25.

He said that currently a corresponding draft law is being prepared.

Elvan said his ministry will be given a right to temporarily close the Internet access, as well as close the access to Internet resources, which are detected to have unsafe content, national security wise.
The ministry will be then able to apply to the court for the final closure of such resources.

It is also envisaged to introduce a fine of 500,000 TRY (or $215,592 as of Dec. 25), if the content is not removed from a website, following a warning.

Turkey has previously blocked known websites for security concerns. Under a court decision, Turkey blocked Twitter on March 21.

Youtube was blocked again on April 5, when an audio recording of a secret meeting on the situation in Syria was uploaded to Youtube on March 27. The mentioned meeting was attended by the heads of intelligence and the general staff of Turkish military.

Turkish Minister for EU Affairs: "Only 20 percent of Turks support idea of country’s accession to EU"

Turkish Minister for EU Affairs: "Only 20 percent of Turks support idea of country’s accession to EU". (Taz).

The negotiations between Turkey and the European Union (EU) can’t continue in the format required by EU, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir said.

He said EU pursues arrogant policy with respect to Turkey, which is inadmissible for the country, TRT Haber TV channel reported on Dec.23.

Bozkir added that Turkey will not be concerned if EU adopts a decision not to accept it to the membership.

Furthermore, the minister said that democracy in Turkey is at a higher level than in some European countries.

The official negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU started in 2005.



Earlier, Turkey’s then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the EU continues to mislead Turkey [on the accession issue] and this upsets the country.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc earlier said that if previously, 75 percent of Turkey’s population supported the country’s accession to EU, currently, this figure has dropped to 20 percent.

Turkey has fulfilled 65 percent of its commitments to the EU for accession to this organization. Hmmm.....Europe does not need this "Advanced Islamist Democracy" in its midst. 


Related:   Turkey under siege of a massive smear campaign: PM Davutoğlu

Turkish AK Party plans employ 'Brown Shirt' security officers as alternative to police.

Turkish AK Party plans employ 'Brown Shirt' security officers as alternative to police. (Bugun).

After the adoption of a controversial security bill, the Interior Ministry now has the power to employ 50,000 security officers as an alternative to police officers.

The new security officers will have similar authorizations like police officers to search people and ask for their ID, to use a gun and to detain citizens. Security officers will serve at important government buildings and sensitive areas. In addition, if it’s required, they will serve as personal security guards.

In the first stage, Turkey's Interior Ministry will employ 28,500 security officers and this number later will reach 50,000. And the applicants will not need to complete police college or police academy. 

Being a high school graduate and scored 40-60 marks on the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) will enough to be employed as protection officer. Their physical fitness is also set as priority. And employed officers will get four months of police training.

Security officers will be part of the police force, and they will wear the similar uniform to police officers and will be armed.

Over the past year close to 40,000 police officers, commissioners, and chiefs have faced reassignments, inquiries, and firings. A total of 307 police officers were arrested. 261 were released when their detainments were found baseless, while 46 were then arraigned on charges of illegal wiretapping, forgery, and invasion of privacy. Hmmm........All in accordance with 'the Script' And AKP membership card. Not to mention the 'Special forces' $$ to guard his palace.

Video - In Gezi, Turkish police tortured Hakan so bad, his daughter didn't recognize him for 3 months.

Warning: This film contains scenes that some viewers may find distressing. 

On 3 June 2013 Hakan Yaman was walking home from work in Istanbul when he passed a public demonstration against police violence in Gezi Park. Within moments he was caught up in a brutal attack by police officers.HT: AmnestyInternational.