Turkish Forum

Category: News

  • Turkish court deciding AKP’s fate

    Turkish court deciding AKP’s fate

    Turkey’s Constitutional Court is meeting to consider if the governing AK Party should be banned for alleged anti-secular activities.

    It is the culmination of a series of clashes between the party, which has Islamist roots, and the secular elite.

    The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth and calls the case an attack on democracy.

    Hours before the court opened, bomb attacks in Istanbul killed 17 people.

    Five of those killed were children, the governor of Istanbul said, while more than 150 people were wounded in the twin bombings, six of whom remained in hospital with serious injuries.

    It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks – security services said they had similarities with previous attacks by the Kurdish separatist PKK, although the group itself denied any involvement.

    The country has also been attacked in the past by other leftist radical groups and Islamists.

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the bombings only strengthened Turkey’s determination in its fight against terrorism.

    ‘Judicial coup’

    It was not clear if the attacks were timed to coincide with the controversial court case, which represents a clash between powerful forces.

    Turkey’s PM has said the bombing overshadows the court case

    But Mr Erdogan insisted his thoughts were with those affected by the bombings.

    He cancelled a Monday morning cabinet meeting to travel to Istanbul and visit the site of the attacks.

    At the scene, Mr Erdogan downplayed the courtroom drama unfolding in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

    “Our problem is not whether or not AK Party will be closed,” Reuters news agency reported him as saying.

    “Our problem at the moment is to keep our unity so our country will go in a different direction.”

    Secular ideals

    The modern Turkish republic was founded in 1923 as a secular and unitary state.

    COURT’S OPTIONS
    Dismiss case against AKP
    Impose financial penalty, cutting state aid to AKP; implying wrongdoing but not sufficient for ban
    Ban AKP but not individuals; would probably allow AKP to re-form and continue under new name
    Ban AKP and individuals; would probably lead to new elections; political future for PM and president unclear

    Since the 1960s, more than 20 parties – mostly pro-Islamist or pro-Kurdish – have been shut down by the courts for allegedly posing a threat to those principles.

    However, this is the first time that a closure case has been brought against a governing party with a huge parliamentary majority, the BBC’s Pam O’Toole says.

    The stakes are high, she adds, with the AKP fighting for its political survival and the secularists viewing the case as their last opportunity to block what they allege are attempts to turn Turkey into an Islamic state.

    More than 70 AKP members, including President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could be banned from political activities for five years.

    The party argues that it is facing a “judicial coup”.

    Fault lines

    The Constitutional Court has said it will convene on a daily basis until the 11 judge-panel reaches one of three verdicts – to shut down the party and impose political bans on its members; to cut treasury aid to it; or to throw out the case.

    Turkish secularists have staged huge anti-AKP rallies

    If the party is closed down or large numbers of its senior members are banned from politics, it will deepen the political fault lines between AKP supporters and secularists, our reporter says.

    This could lead to a period of political instability or even another general election, with the AKP’s deputies regrouping under a different name, she adds.

    Last week, an adviser to the court recommended that it should not shut down the AKP, arguing its decision to lift a ban on Islamic headscarves in universities had not challenged the constitution.

    The case has already caused uncertainty in Turkey’s stock market.

    There is also speculation that a ban could harm Ankara’s long-running bid to join the European Union, which has expressed concern.

    During its first term in office, the AKP pushed through major reforms aimed at EU membership.

    But critics allege that, in its second term, it has focused more on policies aimed at its conservative supporters.

  • The Anti-Coup

    The Anti-Coup

    The Anti-Coup

    As coups are one of the primary ways through which dictatorships are installed, this piece details measures that civilians, civil society, and governments can take to prevent and block coups d’état and executive usurpations. It also contains specific legislative steps and other measures that governments and non-governmental institutions can follow to prepare for anti-coup resistance.

    The Anti-Coup
    By Gene Sharp & Bruce Jenkins
    The Albert Einstein Institution

  • Bombs Kill 16 in a Crowded Istanbul Neighborhood

    Bombs Kill 16 in a Crowded Istanbul Neighborhood

     

    A Turkish police officer on Sunday guarded the site of two explosions in Istanbul as residents hung flags on windows in reaction to rumors that Kurdish separatists were behind the attack.

    By SEBNEM ARSU
    Published: July 28, 2008

    ISTANBUL — Two bombs exploded within minutes of each other late Sunday in a crowded pedestrian area of Istanbul, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 150 in what the city’s governor called a terrorist attack.

    The double bombing appeared to be the worst case of terrorist violence in Turkey in nearly five years and seemed to take the Turkish authorities by surprise. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, although Kurdish separatist militants were initially suspected.

    Residents in buildings near the explosion sites hung Turkish flags from their windows and balconies in reaction to rumors that the separatists were responsible.

    There was no obvious reason the Istanbul neighborhood that was bombed, which is almost completely residential, had been the object of a terrorism plot.

    The first blast, which the police and witnesses said was relatively minor, attracted scores of onlookers curious about the commotion, with at least some of them thinking it was caused by a gas leak explosion. Many of the onlookers were then hit by flying shrapnel and debris in the second, more powerful blast about 10 minutes after the first and about 20 yards away, the governor of Istanbul, Muammer Guler, said in a news briefing broadcast by Turkish television.

    Witnesses described a scene of panic with victims lying on the street in pools of blood. The bombings seemed timed to exploit the summer pastime of many residents of the pedestrian area of Gungoren, in central Istanbul, to stroll in the cool late evening before going to bed.

    “It’s surely a terror attack, there’s no doubt,” Governor Guler said. “Because people were gathered after the first explosion, and because the second explosion happened right after, people sitting right across got severely injured.”

    Senol Simsek, a witness who provided first aid to the wounded, told the NTV television network that he had seen at least five people lying and writhing near a telephone booth that was destroyed. The police quickly sealed off the entire area and closed it to all traffic.

    Hayati Yazici, deputy prime minister who happened to be visiting Istanbul on Sunday, visited the bombing site and told the Anatolian News Agency: “It is obvious that this is the work of a villain organization, a person or people, however it is not certain as to who this is. Our friends are investigating, it will be discovered for sure.”

    The double bombing appeared to be the most serious terrorist attack here since twin truck bombings at two Istanbul synagogues killed 23 people and wounded more than 300 on Nov. 15, 2003. An obscure group linked to Al Qaeda took responsibility for the synagogue blasts, which were the worst in a series of explosions blamed on Islamic extremist groups that year that killed more than 60 people.

    President Abdullah Gul, in a written statement, denounced the attack here Sunday and said Turkey remained committed in what he called the struggle against terrorism. “Nothing can be achieved by terror, violently claiming lives of the innocent,” Mr. Gul said. “These attacks show the inhumanity and misery of the assailants.”

    Officials were continuing investigations and analysis at both explosion sites to determine the precise cause and motives behind the attack, Turkish news organizations reported.

    There was initial speculation that the bombings might have been the work of the P.K.K., or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an insurgent group that has been fighting the Turkish Army for autonomy in the southeast area of the country adjoining Iraq.

    Earlier Sunday, the Turkish military announced that its fighter jets had attacked 12 Kurdish separatist targets in Iraq’s Qandil region and that it had inflicted an unspecified number of “terrorist casualties.”

    Lynsey Addario contributed reporting.

  • Istanbul Bombings Kill 15 Evening Strollers

    Istanbul Bombings Kill 15 Evening Strollers

    By SEBNEM ARSU
    Published: July 28, 2008

    ISTANBUL, Turkey — Two bombs exploded within minutes of each other late Sunday in a crowded pedestrian area of Istanbul, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 100 in what the city’s governor called a terrorist attack.

    The double bombing appeared to be the worst incident of terrorist violence in Turkey in nearly five years and seemed to take the Turkish authorities completely by surprise. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, although Kurdish separatist militants were initially suspected. The Istanbul neighborhood that was targeted, which is almost completely residential, had no obvious reason to be the object of a terrorism plot.

    The first blast, which the police and witnesses said was relatively minor, attracted scores of onlookers curious about the commotion, with at least some of them thinking it was caused by a gas leak explosion. Many of the curious onlookers were hit by flying shrapnel and debris from the second, more powerful blast about 10 minutes later and about 20 yards away, the governor, Muammer Guler, said in a news briefing carried on Turkish television.

    Witnesses described a scene of panic with victims lying on the street in pools of blood. The timing of the bombings appeared to deliberately coincide with the summer pastime of many residents of the pedestrian area of Gungoren, in central Istanbul, to stroll in the cool late evening before going to bed.

    “It’s surely a terror attack, there’s no doubt,” Governor Guler said. “Because people were gathered after the first explosion, and because the second explosion happened right after, people sitting right across got severely injured.”

    Senol Simsek, a witness who provided first-aid to the injured, told the NTV television network that he saw at least five people lying and writhing near a telephone booth that was completely destroyed. Police quickly sealed off the entire area and closed it to all traffic.

    Hayati Yazici, deputy prime minister who happened to be visiting Istanbul on Sunday, visited the bombing site and told the Anatolian News Agency: “It is obvious that this is the work of a villain organization, a person or people, however it is not certain as to who this is. Our friends are investigating, it will be discovered for sure.”

    The double-bombing appeared to be the most serious terrorism attack here since twin truck bombings at two Istanbul synagogues killed 23 people and wounded more than 300 on Nov. 15, 2003. An obscure group linked to Al Qaeda took responsibility for the synagogue blasts, which were the worst in a series of explosions blamed on Islamic extremist groups that year that killed more than 60 people.

    President Abdullah Gul, in a written statement, denounced the attack here Sunday and said Turkey remains committed in what he called the struggle against terror. “Nothing can be achieved by terror, violently claiming lives of the innocent,” Mr. Gul said. “These attacks show the inhumanity and misery of the assailants.”

    Officials were continuing investigations and analysis at both explosion sites to determine the precise cause and motives behind the attack, Turkish news outlets reported.

    There was initial speculation that the bombings might be the work of the PKK or Kurdish Workers’ Party, in insurgent group that has been fighting the Turkish army for autonomy in the southeast area of the country adjoining Iraq. In recent weeks the military has periodically announced anti-PKK operations near the border and northern Iraq, which the Turks say is used by PKK insurgents as a refuge.

    Earlier Sunday, the Turkish military announced that its fighter jets had attacked 12 Kurdish separatest targets in Iraq’s Qandil region and that it had inflicted an unspecified number of “terrorist casualties.”

    Source: New York Times, July 28, 2008

  • Gang’s links with PKK, DHKP/C, Hizbullah exposed

    Gang’s links with PKK, DHKP/C, Hizbullah exposed

    This undated photo shows İP leader Doğu Perinçek (R), a chief suspect in the Ergenekon case, shaking hands with PKK members during a visit to a PKK camp. The terrorist group's leader, Abdullah Öcalan, walks next to him.

    Prosecutors in a landmark case over the investigation into Ergenekon, a criminal network suspected of plotting a coup against the government, have uncovered striking links between the gang and some key outlawed groups behind decades of bloody and provocative acts.

    An İstanbul court on Friday agreed to hear the case over the investigation into Ergenekon, in a move that will kick off the trial process for dozens of suspected gang members, including retired army officers, academics, journalists and businessmen.

    Prosecutors in the Ergenekon investigation have demanded that retired Brig. Gen. Veli Küçük, Cumhuriyet daily columnist İlhan Selçuk, Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate press spokeswoman Sevgi Erenerol, former İstanbul University Rector Kemal Alemdaroğlu and Workers’ Party (İP) leader Doğu Perinçek — believed to be leaders of the gang — each be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and an additional 164 years. These five suspects will face various charges, including, but not limited to, “establishing a terrorist organization,” “attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey by force or to block it from performing its duties,” “inciting the people to rebel against the Republic of Turkey,” “openly provoking hatred and hostility,” “inciting others to stage the 2006 Council of State shooting,” “attacking the Cumhuriyet daily’s İstanbul office with a hand grenade” and other similar crimes.

    The almost 2,500-page-long Ergenekon indictment has revealed serious connections between Ergenekon and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) and the Turkish Hizbullah (no relation to Lebanon-based Hezbullah).

    The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by a large majority of the international community, including the European Union and the United States, uses northern Iraq as a base from which to make attacks on Turkish soil. Turkey blames the PKK, which is fighting for an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey, for the deaths of 40,000 people over the past 25 years.

    The PKK has been behind many provocative attacks, some of which have been claimed by the organization itself, while others have been claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a PKK-affiliated group known largely for its terrorist attacks in big cities. A destructive explosion last year was set off by the PKK in Ankara. A powerful explosion in front of the Anafartalar shopping mall in the capital’s busy Ulus district during rush hour killed 10 and injured more than 100 on May 22, 2007.

    In October police forces averted a disaster in Ankara at the last minute after finding a van packed with explosives near a multistory parking lot. The van was loaded with hundreds of kilograms of explosives. PKK involvement in that incident had also been confirmed.

    The DHKP/C is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union and has claimed responsibility for a number of assassinations and bombings since the 1970s. The organization was originally formed in 1978 by Dursun Karataş.

    “It is being understood — from evidence in the investigation file, the interrogations and the documents that have been seized — that Küçük, one of the leaders of the Ergenekon terrorist organization, had a close relationship with the DHKP/C terrorist organization, used it in line with the goals and targets of the Ergenekon terrorist organization and kept it under control,” the indictment alleges.

    Turkish Hizbullah is a Kurdish, Sunni fundamentalist organization that arose in the late 1980s in southeastern Turkey. In the early 1990s, when the Turkish government’s conflict with the PKK was at its most fierce, Hizbullah began attacking suspected PKK sympathizers.

    “Pseudo-terrorist organizations should be established,” says a document allegedly belonging to Ergenekon and included in the indictment. The same document notes that Ergenekon doesn’t aim at destroying certain terrorist organizations, but at taking them under control and using them for its own purposes.

    The indictment includes testimonies from two confidential witnesses who had previously been in PKK camps. According to their testimonies, the coup against the elected civilian government on Sept. 12, 1980, which installed a military-civilian cabinet while proclaiming martial law, was announced beforehand to the outlawed PKK. Upon receiving this information, the PKK warned its members through brochures it published and made them flee abroad in groups while and bury its weapons beneath its shelters.

    One witness, codenamed “Deniz,” provided information about meetings between Ergenekon and intelligence officers of from other countries and explained that the now-jailed founder of the PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, left Turkey before the 1980 coup because he had been informed about it beforehand.

    Deniz said journalist Yalçın Küçük, also a suspected member of Ergenekon, went to Damascus to meet with Öcalan in 1993 and 1996. He explained that the Küçük guided Öcalan in his armed activities. Stressing that Küçük was like Öcalan’s brain, the witness said in 1996 it was Küçük who saved Öcalan from an assassination in Damascus.

    Deniz added that Hizbullah members were trained at the Gendarmerie Command. A reporter who took photographs of this training was later killed, the witness said.

    Perinçek is among the founders of the PKK

    In the indictment, it is claimed that İP leader Perinçek, who is currently under arrest, often met with Öcalan in Bekaa Valley and that he was among the founders of the PKK. The report also highlights an exchange of views between Perinçek and Öcalan’s attorneys.

    In a classified document prepared by Capt. Ceyhan Karagöz on Oct. 25, 1994, it is said that the PKK was founded on Oct. 27, 1978 in the village of Ziyaret in the eastern province of Diyarbakır by 25 people, including Öcalan and Perinçek.

    There are other documents indicating a relationship between Perinçek and the PKK. A letter addressed to Perinçek found at the house of journalist and Tuncay Güney, who now lives in Canada and works as a rabbi, a witness in the Ergenekon investigation, features a PKK seal and reads: “In our hard struggle, it is impossible to express your sacrifice and contributions in political, economic and arms-related terms with words. The Kurdish community, which has been exploited and exposed to the massacres of fascist Turkish armies, needs brave people like you who are respectful to human rights, struggle in the war for freedom and support our party without any reservations. … In the periods ahead, our party will be honored to cooperate with people like you. Revolutionary greetings.”

    The indictment also reveals that Güney said shipments of weapons to northern Iraq were also related to Perinçek.

    Zaman: Today’s Zaman, 28 July 2008

  • Turk who saved Jews from Auschwitz remembered

    Turk who saved Jews from Auschwitz remembered

    RHODES, Greece (AFP) — Dozens of families from around the world gathered Saturday on the Greek island of Rhodes to pay tribute to the man who in 1944 saved 40 Jews from being deported to a Nazi concentration camps.

    Selahattin Ulkumen, Turkish consul general on the island in 1943, is remembered for his role in saving the Turkish Jews by persuading a German general to release them the day before they were due to be transported to Auschwitz.

    Nearly 2,500 Jews from Rhodes and the nearby island of Kos were deported on July 24, 1944. All but 150 perished in the Nazi gas chambers or concentration camps.

    However, some months later Ulkumen persuaded the German general on the island to release the 40 Turkish Jews, by reminding him of Turkey’s neutrality.

    “I was 13 years old and I can still picture the long discussions in front of us between Selahattin Ulkumen and the German general,” said Sami Modiano, one of the deportees who survived.

    Ulkumen’s 64-year-old son, Mehmet, joined the commemoration and was presented with a plaque by the president of the Central Jewish Council of Greece, Moisis Constantinis.

    Ulkumen was arrested at the end of 1944 by the Germans after Turkey sided with the Allies. The Turkish consulate on Rhodes was subsequently bombed and his wife, pregnant with Mehmet, and two employees were wounded. His wife died a week after giving birth.

    None of the Holocaust survivors ever returned to live on the island.

    An attempt to re-establish the Jewish community there in the 1950s by settling families from different Greek regions did not have much success and the island’s Jewish population currently stands at no more than 40, said secretary of the Rhodes Jewish community Carmen Levi.

    Concentration camp survivor Stella Levi said she made the journey to her birthplace from her home in New York every year.

    This tribute “is a historic moment for the Jews of Rhodes,” she said.

    Once dubbed “Little Jerusalem” Rhodes took in several hundred Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century who joined those already on the island.

    Between the two world wars, the Jewish population of the island reached about 6,000.

    Some 67,000 Greek Jews perished in the Holocaust, 86 percent of the country’s entire Jewish community.

    Source: AFP, 27 July 2008