[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
Armenian Genocide
Kurds Pay Respects to Armenians “Most of the massacres during the Armenian genocide were carried out in today`s southeastern Turkey, often by Kurdish militias, but today Kurds commemorate the genocide in Diyarbakır,” Frederike Geerdink reports.
In Turkey`s Battle of the G-words, Gallipoli Wins Cengiz Çandar points to President Erdoğan’s embracing of the centennial ceremonies of the Battle of Gallipoli in the city of Canakkale (Dardanelles) as “our event,” whereas the centennial of the Armenian genocide in Yerevan was seen by him as “theirs.”
A Letter To The Armenians On the centenary of the Armenian genocide, this short film was produced to carry the messages of eight writers from Turkey to their fellow Armenians.
If the Armenian Question Becomes `Domestic` Etyen Mahçupyan suggests that the AKP is annoyed by the fact that the Armenian question is a topic on the world agenda and that it is used to the detriment of Turkey.
May Day
May Day Istanbul-Photostory Emin Özmen and Mete Çarkçı from Agence Le Journal presents a photostory of May Day clashes in İstanbul.
May Day Similar to a State of Emergency Commenting on the violent clashes between the police and protesters on May Day in Istanbul after the government’s ban on any celebrations at Taksim Square, Arif Beki blames “militant groups” for fetishizing Taksim and initiating violence.
Mayday for Turkish Workers on May Day Emre Deliveli argues that Turkey’s labor laws will keep on increasing unemployment by restricting employment and protecting jobs rather than workers—not to mention ignoring employees’ health and safety.
June Elections
Let`s Be Realistic Criticizing the portrayal of the HDP as the “last hope” for Turkey’s democratization, Etyen Mahçupyan argues that it is ridiculous to believe that the ruling AKP government has brought dictatorship.
Is Erdoğan Signaling End of Secularism in Turkey? Pınar Tremblay points out that the Religious Affairs Directorate has become the center of the election campaign in Turkey, causing further social discord.
Another Silent Revolution Markar Esayan draws attention to the fact that the AKP has striven for thirteen years to end the confiscation of properties of non-Muslim communities, established during the Ottoman period, whereas the CHP has shown the greatest resistance to ending this practice.
“Parallel Structure” Debates
On Saturday`s Legal Scandal Nagehan Alçı reports that police officers and press members who are allegedly members of “parallel structure,” and are being kept in detention on charges of conducting illegal wiretapping and conspiracy, were unlawfully discharged by a decision from an unauthorized judge on Saturday evening.
The Assassin Anatomy According to Özlem Albayrak, the judge ruled to release the seventy-five suspects who were being tried for unlawful wiretapping because they were from the same community as the judge, which is referred to as the “parallel structure” and is also known as the Gülen Movement.
Behind the Scenes of the Judiciary Coup (1)-(2) Abdulkadir Selvi argues that the illegitimate decision to release suspects revealed yet again that “the parallel structure” has a network embedded in the judiciary.
Digging a Tunnel in Law and Abducting Someone from Prison Yasin Aktay accuses the judges of misusing their legal authority in the direction of the instructions they have received from “the parallel structure.”
What the Release Operation Demonstrates Atilla Yayla suggests that this operation reveals that an autonomous structure exists within the state, which has extensions in the judiciary.
Foreign Affairs
The AKP’s Diplomacy Semih İdiz demonstrates that Turkey is vying to be the country with the largest number of ambassadors recalled from various countries in a diplomatic huff, ostensibly to punish them for their misdeeds against Turkey, or simply for angering the ruling AKP for one reason or other.
Russia`s Recognition of Armenian Genocide Strains Ties with Turkey “Moscow’s acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide and President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Yerevan for the genocide commemorations shake Turkish-Russian ties,” reports Semih İdiz.
Iraq, Syria Crises Cost Billions for Turkey Fehim Taştekin points that the amount Turkey has paid for the Iraqi and Syrian crises in the last four years has reached over sixteen billion dollars.
Turkey, Saudi-Led Regional Coalition Gears up Efforts to Topple al-Assad Serkan Demirtaş says that the regional coalition composed of Turkey and the Gulf countries under the leadership of Saudi Arabia is active in Syria with the purpose of toppling Assad by using FSA-backed Salafist groups.
Erdoğan Now at Odds with New Turkish Cypriot President Murat Yetkin reports that President Erdoğan challenged Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı, who was recently elected with a clear sixty percent majority, as he asked for a relationship with Turkey among equals, instead of a mother-child relationship.
Northern Cyprus Demands Respect from Turkey “The new Turkish Cypriot president, Mustafa Akıncı, infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as soon as he was elected by calling for a dignified relationship between Turkish Cypriots and Ankara,” Fehim Taştekin writes.
Economy
The Global Crisis in 2015 and the Turkish Economy Ümit Akçay from the Research Institute on Turkey (RIT) presents a comprehensive analysis of the Turkish economy under the influence of global crises.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Turks Protest Prison Term for Woman who Killed Her Rapist Nevin Yıldırım, who murdered and beheaded her rapist, has been sentenced to life in prison, prompting activists to decry the Turkish justice system, which so often offers leniency to men and harshly punishes women for the same crimes.
Turkish
May Day
May Day Istanbul | Photostory Emin Özmen and Mete Çarkçı from Agence Le Journal conduct a photo-interview with protesters who engaged in intense clashes with the police on May Day, following the decision of the governor of Istanbul to close almost all roads leading to Taksim Square.
Fotoröportaj: Yasak Mayıs Cihan Demiral’s photo-interview based on his personal experience on May Day in İstanbul.
Fıtratlarında yalan ve zorbalık var; kaybetseler de iktidarda kalacaklar! Commenting on the undeclared curfew and blockade of the whole city on May Day, Celal Başlangıç accuses the government of spreading lies and implementing undue violence in fear of losing power.
‘Ferman padişahın Taksim bizimdir’ Sibel Yerdeniz invites all to stand in solidarity against the tyranny and one-man rule in the country by being on the streets on May Day.
AKP işçi ve emekçi düşmanı Şaban İba argues that the AKP is an anti-worker party by providing statistics related to increased rates of work-related deaths and worsening economic and democratic conditions for workers over the thirteen-year AKP rule.
Armenian Genocide
Prof. Taner Akçam: 1915`te Ermeni ayaklanmaları olduğu iddiası yalan (1) - (2) Kağan Sezgin interviews Taner Akçam, the leading Turkish scholar on the Armenian genocide, about the motivations behind the genocide, historical and political arguments of the Turkish state, and connections to Hrant Dink’s murder.
Ermeni meselesinde temel sorunumuz: Zihniyet felaketi Baskın Oran evaluates the socio-psychological repercussions of the denialist practices of the state, and the “learned illiteracy” of the Turkish public.
June Elections
Dikkat: Seçim güvenliği sarsılıyor Tarhan Erdem thinks Erdoğan’s speeches, actions, and official visits jeopardize the credibility of the upcoming elections, irreversibly damaging democracy and public order in the country.
‘Seçim barajını da erkek barajını da yıkmak için...’ Zilar Stêrk discusses the meaning of the HDP’s election bulletin for women’s constitutive role in radical politics compared to the liberal understanding of “women’s participation” in other parties’ programs.
Dikkat!.. AKP ve Gladio provokasyonlar için devrede Baki Gül’s interview with Bese Hozat and Cemil Bayık, Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council co-chairs, who warn against the potential provocations set up by the deep-state before the elections.
AKP taşıyıcı CHP mesafeli According to Vahap Coşkun, the AKP wants to show that it has the initiative in the peace process, while the CHP asks for a parliamentary consensus on the issue, in their respective election bulletins.
Beyannamelerde Çözüm Süreci: AKP ve CHP (1) - (2) Mesut Yeğen discusses the reasons why discussions of the peace process are cast aside in major parties’ election agendas, and the “meta-influence” of Erdoğan’s presidency on election politics.
Davutoğlu Erdoğan`ın memleketinde ve gölgesinde (1) - (2) Ruşen Çakır evaluates the campaign performances of the AKP’s leader Davutoğlu’s in Rize overshadowed by Erdoğan’s influence, and of Kilicdaroglu, whose campaign is currently focused on proposing concrete solutions to social ills.
7 Haziran bir seçimden daha fazlası, çünkü Erdoğan dönemini kapatacak! Hasan Cemal interviews Zübeyir Aydar and Remzi Kartal, who deny any tacit agreements with the AKP on political matters, and clearly state that the Kurdish movement will not support anti-democratic developments in Turkey, including Erdoğan’s presidency.
Kurdish Politics
Demek ki neymiş, Kürt sorunu yokmuş! Hasan Cemal argues that Erdoğan’s Kurdish policy inherits the nationalist reflexes and sensitivities of the previous governments, and only differs from the Kemalist laicists in his Islamist stance.
Köy koruculuğu ve Çözüm Süreci Evren Balta talks about the importance of village guards in the war against the Kurdish insurgency and why the dismantling of this institutionalized power is crucial for the peace process.
Elections in Northern Cyprus
Kıbrıslı Türkler net konuştu: Çözüm istiyoruz According to Tümay Tuğyan, the people of Northern Cyprus voted for change and an immediate solution.
Erdoğan’dan Akıncı’ya ‘kutlama tokadı’: Yavrusun sen yavru kal... Hakan Aksay discusses Erdoğan’s aggressive reaction to Mustafa Akıncı’s, the newly elected President of Northern Cyprus, statements implying changes in the hierarchical relations between Turkey and Northern Cyprus.
‘Komşularla sıfır sorun’dan Kuzey Kıbrıs’la da ‘soruna’ Veysi Sarisözen claims that Erdoğan’s scolding of Mustafa Akıncı might show his plans for utilizing the change in Northern Cyprus politics towards peace as national propaganda in the AKP’s election campaign.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Anadilde Eğitim: Politik bir talep mi? Bir çocuk hakkı mı? Şükrü Hatun states that the Kurdish issue can only be solved by abandoning assimilationist policies and as an extension of perceiving education in mother tongue as childrens` rights.
28 Nisan neden iş cinayetlerinde hayatını kaybedenleri anma ve yas günü ilan edilmeli? Esra Yalçınalp lists the demands of families of workers who have died due to work-related reasons, and talks about their admirable and steadfast struggle to prevent future workers’ deaths.
Published on Jadaliyya
On May Day, We Are in Taksim and We Are Everywhere!
Let Us Make a New Beginning: Speech for the Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in Istanbul
Soykirimla yargilanmayi arzuluyorum...
Turkiyeli Ermeniler’den Cagri: Bak Kardesim
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
Istanbul Film Festival Cancels Competitions Due to Censorship