[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
International Women's Day
Turkish women's organization looks back on two decades of progress Nebahat Akkoc, one of the founders of the Women's Consultation Center, says that a decrease in early marriages, increased awareness, and harsher laws against rapists are some of the major advances in women's rights over the last 20 years.
Thousands of Women Celebrate Women’s Day in Afrin Thousands of women, including many from Kobane, Rojava, and Jazira cantons, gathered in Afrin to celebrate Women's Day.
Portraits from Feminist Night Watch Photographs of the Women's Day March on Istiklal Street in Istanbul.
Erdoğan slams preachers over remarks on women, calls on Diyanet to take more active role Erdoğan has accused preachers who make sexist remarks of "using religion to be popular", and has stated they do harm to both women and Islam.
Afrin
Turkish army: Afrin city center surrounded The Turkish General Staff has reported that Afrin's city center has been surrounded since March 12th.
France says no justification for scale of Turkey's Syria offensive France's foreign minister has told Turkey that security concerns do not justify military operations that put civilians at risk.
Civilians Enter Afrin City Center Due to escalating bombardments on the periphery, civilians have started migrating towards Afrin's city center. A Yazidi press agency has also reported that a historic Yazidi village has been captured by the TAF and FSA.
Turkey plans to establish refugee camps in Syria The Turkish government has announced that refugees camps would be set up in five regions neighboring Afrin in order to accomodate the high number of displaced people.
Domestic Politics
Turkish court orders release of journalists Ahmet Şık, Murat Sabuncu Cumhuriyet journalist Ahmet Şık and editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu have been released. The daily's chair, Akın Atalay, remains in prison.
UBER on target in Turkey: Court case, physical assault, shooting, draft bill… Taxi drivers have opened a court case against UBER, asking for the platform to be blocked, while others have physically attacked UBER drivers.
Moody’s takes action on Turkish banks, firms after sovereign rating downgrade After lowering Turkey's sovereign rating from Ba2 to Ba1, Moody's also lowered the outlook on several Turkish banks and companies from stable to negative.
The Rise of Paramilitary Groups in Turkey A report describing three layers of far-right paramilitary groups that are aiding the AKP's consolidation of power in Turkey: private armed security contractors, gang and mafia affiliated groups, and youth clubs.
Turkey Approves Election Law Seen Boosting Erdogan Some key electoral changes approved by the Turkish parliament are allowing parties to form alliances that would let them bypass the 10% electoral threshold, letting law-enforcement officials monitor voting, and permitting the counting of unstamped ballots.
BAD TRAFFIC: Sandvine’s PacketLogic Devices Used to Deploy Government Spyware in Turkey and Redirect Egyptian Users to Affiliate Ads? A research group has found that Türk Telecom redirected hundreds of internet users attempting to download software such as Avast or Opera to spyware potentially used for surveillance purposes.
International Politics
'My dear friend Gabriel' is gone. What now? Yunus Paksoy writes that the friendship between Sigmar Gabriel and Mevlut Çavuşoğlu helped secure positive outcomes for both countries, and wonders if the incoming German Foreign Minister will continue this pattern.
Denmark charges Turkish informants as spies Three individuals accused of informing on dissident Turkish citizens living in Denmark are being charged as spies.
With its ‘global purge,’ Ankara puts Interpol in a tight spot Yavuz Baydar writes that Turkey is abusing Interpol's system to arrest Turkish dissents abroad, while its arrests of foreign nationals on Turkish soil is becoming a form of "hostage diplomacy".
Turkish Plane Crashes in Iran, Killing Heiress and 7 Friends A plane carrying the daughter of a Turkish billionaire crashed in Iran's Zagros mountains on the way back from a bachelorette party in Dubai.
Turkey poised to open a military front in Iraq Turkey has been engaged in discussions with the Iraqi government over holding joint military operations against the PKK in Northern Iraq.
Life sentence hangs over US pastor as Washington sizes up Ankara Although a prosecutor has asked for life imprisonment for an American pastor charged with "being a member and executive" of Fethullah Gulen's group, there is hope that the existence of an indictment may lead to his eventual release.
Culture and History
“Neslishah: The Last Ottoman Princess” Tells the Story of the Last Ottoman Royals in Their Own Words A biography based on extensive interviews with Princess Neslishah Osmanoglu decribes her journey into exile at age 3, her marriage into the later deposed royal family of Egypt, and her eventual return to Istanbul.
Teymur Ateşli: A Traitor-Hero for the Cold-War Era An article detailing the story of Teymur Ateşli, an Azeri who volunteered to fight with Nazi Germany against Russia as revenge for the cruelties inflicted on his people by communist authorities.
Turkish
Women's Day
Feminist Gece Yürüyüşü 2018 A photo album of the Women's Day march in Istanbul.
KA.DER Geleneksel 8 Mart Karnesini Yayınladı Women's Association KA.DER published its 10th annual report on women's political representation in Turkey. Some notable findings were that only 13.91% of MPs, 6.6% of mayors, and 1.67% of district governors are women.
Gerçek Feminizm Bu Değil! An article on how men attempting to tell women what consitutes "true" feminism is a form of moralistic authoritarianism, a phenomenon which is not strictly limited to the right.
Orgazmlı, vibratörlü, 'sürtük'lü: 8 Mart sulandırılıyor mu? Ebru Pektaş writes that, in an political environment that is increasingly policing women's sexuality, the overt sexuality of some Women's March slogans is an important countermove.
‘Anneliği reddeden kadın yarımdır’ diyen Erdoğan: Benden duyarlısı var mıdır bilmem During his speech at a Women's Day program, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of motherhood, stating that no matter how successful they are in their professional life, women who refuse motherhood are incomplete.
Ahmet Şık's and Murat Sabuncu's Release
Akın Atalay'dan mektup: Bir tahliye kararının ardından Cumhuriyet Chairman Akın Atalay wrote a letter from prison about his feeling of peace upon his two colleagues' release, stating that walking away to freedom while leaving your friends behind is more difficult than remaining in jail.
Özgürlüğüne kavuşan Ahmet Şık: Bu mafya saltanatı hak ettiği yere gidecek, işte biz o zaman sevineceğiz Upon his release, Ahmet Şık reiterated that he would continue his struggle, saying he "guaranteed that the 'mafia sultanate' would come to an end".
Domestic Politics
Dink cinayeti davası devam ediyor Some of the suspects at the ongoing trial for the murder of Hrant Dink, which includes Gendarmerie and police officials on duty at the time, are accused of being Gulenists.
Bir Dersim İzlenimi: Korku ve Sessizlik! While attending the sentencing of Dersim's former provincial chairman, who received 11 years in prison, a journalist remarks an unusual quietness in a region known for being outspoken politically.
Diyanet'te bir ilk... Ataması gerçekleşti For the first time, a woman has been appointed as the vice-president of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.
Published on Jadaliyya
Understanding Religion in (New) Turkey
Mostafa Minawi on "Juridical Colonialism, International Law, and the Ottoman Response"
Reading Resource on Sykes-Picot Agreement (Signed in May 1916)
Call for Targeted Academic Boycott of Turkey
De-Escalation Zones in Syria: Not an Alternative for Refugees