Die deutsche Verfassung schützt die Glaubens- und Religionsfreiheit. Aber gilt dieser Schutz auch dann noch, wenn das, was in den Moscheen gepredigt wird, nicht den Grundsätzen unserer Verfassung entspricht?
In einige Moscheen wurden Prediger eingeladen, die als Islamisten gelten. Junge Gläubige, vorwiegend Männer, die sich später dem Dschihad anschlossen, gingen in deutschen Moscheen ein und aus, zum Beispiel in der Al nur Moschee in Berlin. Wie schwierig es ist, gegen extremistische Moscheen in Deutschland vorzugehen, erklärt der Präsident des Bundesverfassungsschutzes Hans-Georg Maaßen.
Auch die Moscheen des türkischen DITIB-Verbundes, die lange Zeit als Bollwerk gegen den Islamismus und als gemäßigt galten, sind in jüngster Zeit in die Kritik geraten. Man wirft ihnen vor, der lange Arm des türkischen Präsidenten Erdogan zu sein. Schon seit Jahrzehnten werden die Imame des türkisch-muslimischen Dachverbandes DITIB von der türkischen Religionsbehörde Diyanet nach Deutschland entsandt. Doch erst seit kurzem wird diese Praxis von der Politik in Frage gestellt. https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/zdfzoom/zdfzoom-die-moschee-nebenan-100.html
Türkischer Geheimdienst - Paris: Ein Agent stirbt im Gefängnis
Der mutmaßliche Mörder der kurdis
chen Aktivistinnen Sakine Cansız, Fidan Doğan und Leyla Şaylemez und Agent des türkischen Geheimdienstes (MIT), Ömer Güney, wurde am 16.12.2016 tot in seiner Zelle aufgefunden. Sein plötzlicher Tod wirft Fragen auf. In Hamburg wird zeitgleich ein MIT-Agent verhaftet, der angeblich im Auftrag des türkischen Geheimdienstes zwei führende kurdische Politiker ermorden sollte. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Tuerkischer-Geheimdienst-Paris-Ein-Agent-stirbt-im-Gefaengnis-3581637.html
How Turkey's journalists are preserving critical reporting
On the evening of Dec. 6, journalist Nergis Demirkaya sat in the Ankara office of the Human Rights Association (IHD) with a microphone in her hand, asking questions to her guests in a discussion on the latest developments in Turkey. It was a rendition of the program Demirkaya used to host on IMC TV, one of the many channels forcibly shut down since the July 15 coup attempt. This time, however, she had to do without a production-control room and there were no cameras shooting the program. Still, thousands of people watched the discussion, broadcast live on social media by no one else but the 15-strong audience in the hall, whose only equipment was their mobile phone. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/turkey-journalists-strive-sustain-critical-reporting.html
433 filmmakers investigated for demanding peace
An investigation has been launched against 433 filmmakers that supported the "We Wont Be a Party To This Crime" declaration of academics.
The following statement was made in the document signed by İstanbul Provincial Police Chief Haydar Özdemir and sent to the Union of Artists: During the terrorist propaganda investigation numbered 2016/5734 regarding the 11328 suspects that made statements supposedly supporting the peace negotiations, an investigation on praising crime and criminals has been launched against 433 artists that made a statement in order to support the aforementioned criminal statement. https://anfenglish.com/news/433-filmmakers-investigated-for-demanding-peace
A group of women affiliated to the Halkevleri (People's Houses) wanted to protest the ISIS burning two Turkish soldiers to death at Galatasaray Square in Istanbul province Saturday afternoon.
Life against death, peace against war read the banner of the women whose demonstration was obstructed by police by use of force.
On Dec. 2, the Mavi Marmara case brought against Israel for its assault on a Turkish ferryboat carrying humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip met in court for the 21st time. The prosecutor asked for the dismissal of the case based on the agreement signed between Israel and Turkey in June. The victims families and activists at the court were furious, so the judge adjourned the session until Dec. 9. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/turkey-how-erdogan-wins-with-losing-hand.html
No Kurdish force is involved in the Istanbul attack
Speaking to Dengê Kurdistan Radio, PKK Executive Council Member Murat Karayılan spoke about last night's attack on a popular nightclub in Istanbul, which left 39 people dead, mostly foreigners.
Karayılan underlined that no Kurdish force is involved in this attack, saying: "I am of the opinion that TAK would not carry out such an attack either. Ours is a rightful cause and all Kurdish and Kurdistani forces want to have the people of Turkey by their side. Kurdish freedom struggle is at the same time a fight for Turkey's democratization. To this end, we and no other Kurdish force would never target innocent civilians as we are fighting against Turkish colonialism."
Murat Karayılan made the following evaluations regarding the Istanbul attack:
"It seems that deep powers are involved in this attack. Why? Because Turkey is in a tough spot today, left alone and isolated from the world. Turkey has supported the ISIS and Al-Nusra in order to suppress the Kurdish freedom struggle and crush the Kurdish people. It later got engaged in the Syrian issue, developed different relations and grew away from NATO. It has now thrown itself into the arms of Russia but it knows that this will not yield any result either. Turkey resorts to such an organised incident in order to overcome this tough process and to say 'Look, ISIS is attacking us'. These people are cruel and they shed the blood of the people for the sake of their own ruling and interests. https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/karayilan-no-kurdish-force-is-involved-in-the-istanbul-attack
Turkey closes coup commission as key questions linger
Did the Turkish government bargain with the putschists on the night of July 15? Who was involved in the political aspects of the coup? A parliamentary commission was supposed to answer these and other critical questions still hanging over the attempted coup, which has had dramatic consequences for the country. Earlier in December, however, the investigative commission abruptly wrapped up its work at the behest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/12/turkey-coup-commission-ends-work-questions-linger.html
Animosity toward Iran reaches fever pitch in Turkey after Aleppo
Es ist kalt in der Türkei. Nicht nur die Stimmung ist am Nullpunkt, auch die Außentemperatur. Eine dichte Schneedecke hat Istanbul und Ankara unter sich begraben. Der Verkehr ist noch chaotischer als üblich, am Istanbuler Atatürk-Flughafen geht nichts mehr. Hunderte Flüge wurden gecancelt, die Maschinen stecken im Schneematsch. Aufgrund des Wetters wird zeitweise der Fährverkehr auf dem Bosporus zwischen Europa und Asien eingestellt. Straßenhunde und Katzen suchen Zuflucht in Wohnungen und Geschäften. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Tuerkei-Streit-um-das-Praesidialsystem-3592326.html
Marschrichtung Diktatur
Polizeisperren, Tränengas und Wasserwerfer: Der martialische Aufmarsch der Staatsmacht vor dem türkischen Parlament lieferte am Montag einen Vorgeschmack auf jenen neuen Staat, über dessen Aufbau im Plenarsaal debattiert wurde. Während drinnen die Abgeordneten debattierten, wurden laut Agenturangaben mehrere Demonstranten, die gegen die vom Regierungslager geplante Verfassungsänderung protestierten, von Beamten verletzt. https://www.jungewelt.de/2017/01-10/004.php?sstr=T%C3%BCrkei
Erdogans maßgeschneidertes Präsidialsystem
Kurz vor Jahresende wurden die ersten zwei von 29 Verfassungsartikeln zur Einführung eines Präsidialsystems vom Parlament mit den Stimmen von AKP und ultrarechter MHP angenommen. Dies wurde medial durch weitere Verhaftungen, Entlassungen und Demütigungen der Regimekritiker begleitet (vgl. Türkei: Streit um das Präsidialsystem): Die Regierung setzt auf ein Klima der Angst. Einerseits werden Kritiker mundtot gemacht und andererseits wird der islamistische oder nationalistische Mob zu Lynchjustiz ermutigt. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Erdogans-massgeschneidertes-Praesidialsystem-3594194.html
Es war eine stürmische Woche in Ankara. Zwischenzeitlich flogen im Parlament die Fäuste. Aber am Ende half es alles nichts. Der energische Widerstand der Oppositionsparteien CHP und HDP, die harsche Kritik der MHP-Parteibasis an der Unterstützung für die AKP - alle Punkte der Verfassungsreform, die das Land zur Ein-Mann-Diktatur umbauen soll, wurden angenommen. Eine weitere Abstimmungsrunde soll am Mittwoch stattfinden, und voraussichtlich im April soll die Abschaffung der Demokratie per Referendum bestätigt werden. Ob das letztlich gelingen wird, ist völlig offen, denn zur Zeit ist eine Mehrheit der türkischen Bevölkerung Umfragen zufolge gegen das Präsidialsystem, in dem Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan dauerhaft per Dekret regieren könnte, ohne dass das Parlament eine Möglichkeit hätte, ihn zu bremsen. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Tuerkei-Unterwegs-zur-Ein-Mann-Diktatur-3597563.html
3 journalists killed, 299 detained, 80 arrested in 3 months
Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD) issued its quarterly Media Report for the months of October, November and December. During these three months, 3 journalists were killed, 80 journalists were arrested, 299 journalists were detained, 32 journalists were assaulted, 7 foreign journalists were expatriated, 2622 journalists were left unemployed, 5 media offices were attacked, 157 media and 9 publication firms were shut down, 3 media centers were raided, broadcast ban was placed on 24 events, access to 20 websites were banned, and 624 press cards and 32 parliamentary cards were cancelled. https://anfenglish.com/freedom-of-the-press/media-report-3-journalists-killed-299-detained-80-arrested-in-3-months
Turkish prosecutor demands lengthy sentences for pro-Kurdish leaders
Two jailed pro-Kurdish political leaders are facing jail sentences of 142 and 83 years respectively for alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), according to the indictment presented by the Turkish state prosecutor.
He presented the indictment of HDP leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag to Turkeys High Court on Tuesday, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Suspect in Hrant Dink Murder Case: Erdoğan appointed all of us
The 31st hearing of the case on the murder of Agos Newspaper Chief Editor Hrant Dink began at Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court in Çağlayan today. The then Intelligence Unit C Branch Director Ali Fuat Yılmazer, former Intelligence Unit Director Ramazan Akyürek and many other suspects appeared at court.
In his defense, former Intelligence Unit C Branch Director Ali Fuat Yılmazer said All of them were appointed by then Prime Minister Erdoğan and officials. Why isnt there a single political official here? Former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the person that authorized the Ergenekon and Balyoz investigations. https://anfenglish.com/news/suspect-in-hrant-dink-murder-case-erdogan-appointed-all-of-us
Sorge um die Ausrichtung des türkischen Militärs
Vor einem Jahr, am 12.Januar 2016 sprengte sich in Istanbul nahe Sultanahmet ein Selbstmordattentäter in die Luft und riss elf Touristen, darunter acht Deutsche mit in den Tod (siehe Terroranschlag gegen Touristen in Istanbul). Sofort nach dem Attentat verhängte die türkische Regierung eine Nachrichtensperre und kurz danach präsentierte der türkische Präsident den Attentäter: ein IS-Mitglied syrischer Herkunft. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Sorge-um-die-Ausrichtung-des-tuerkischen-Militaers-3596569.html
British Army slammed for training with Turkish, Saudi troops
The British Army is taking part in a joint exercise with military forces from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to the fury of campaigners who say David Cameron's government is prioritising military relationships over human rights.
US pastor in Turkish jail while Gulen dominates talks
Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on US President-elect Donald Trump today to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylania-based Sunni cleric who was named as the mastermind of the July 15 coup attempt. Yildirim told a news conference that Gulen's delivery to the Turkish authorities would help improve stormy relations between the two NATO allies. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/01/turkey-asks-trump-extradite-gulen.html
HDP honorary president: 'Impossible' that constitution referendum will be fair
Most people who faced the kinds of political struggles that Ertugrul Kurkcu has dealt with over his lifetime might consider taking up a different profession. The veteran leftist spent 14 years in jail - originally a death sentence commuted following a 1974 amnesty - after taking up arms following Turkey's second military coup in 1971, taking hostage three British NATO technicians and calling for the release of a number of imprisoned leftists on death row.
Following the abduction, Turkish special forces found Kurkcu and nine other young people in the village of Kizildere in Tokat province. During the ensuing bombardment, all the inhabitants were killed, apart from Kurkcu. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hdp-president-2131074313
Turkey offers citizenship to foreigners with deep pockets
Saddam Hussein's 'grandson': Only Turkey can enter Mosul
Mesut Torun claims to be the grandson of the former Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein. Born and raised in Turkey, the 33-year-old still flies the flag for the now-banned Baath Party and its struggle for what he calls the "liberation" of Iraq from Iran and the US.
Iraqi government forces fighting to capture Mosul from Islamic State militants are committing "genocide" against the population, and are facing resistance from Baathists and other Sunni forces in the city, according to Torun.
Zum ersten Mal seit dem Putschversuch im Juli 2016 besuchte gestern Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel die Türkei. Schon im Vorfeld des unglücklich terminierten Treffens mit Staatspräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan hagelte es Kritik in der deutschen Presse. Und die türkische Opposition pochte auf klare Worte.
Vor der Reise von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel in die Türkei warnen Berliner Regierungsberater vor einer etwaigen Abkehr des Landes vom Westen und dringen auf Zugeständnisse gegenüber Ankara. Staatspräsident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan führe die Türkei immer enger an die Seite Russlands, heißt es in einer aktuellen Analyse der Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP); türkische Think-Tanks stellten bereits die Mitgliedschaft in der NATO zur Debatte, einige sprächen sich sogar offen gegen sie aus. Ankaras Trennung von dem Kriegsbündnis und dem Westen müsse unbedingt verhindert werden, schreibt die SWP und rät zu Empfänglichkeit für Wünsche der türkischen Regierung. Tatsächlich hat das Berliner Establishment kaum je einen Zweifel daran gelassen, dass es die Kooperation mit der Türkei nicht nur wegen ökonomischer, sondern vor allem auch wegen strategischer Vorteile bei der Einflusssicherung im Mittleren Osten sowie in Zentralasien aufrechterhalten will; das Land könne als "Landbrücke" in die dortigen Rohstoffregionen dienen, heißt. Bereits im Herbst hieß es in einem Kommentar einer führenden deutschen Tageszeitung, die Zusammenarbeit mit der Türkei müsse selbst dann gewahrt werden, wenn in dem Land "dauerhaft und systematisch Oppositionelle gefoltert" würden. https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/fulltext/59530
4 reasons Turkey is destined for an imperial presidency
There is a new theme these days in Turkey's hard-core pro-Erdogan media: The unreliability of opinion leaders or activists who have led Turkeys Islamist movement for decades, and who have also been strong supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Lately, some prominent Islamists have raised criticism about corruption by power in the ruling circles. The Islamists also have criticized the pro-Erdogan propaganda machine, which intimidates, threatens and libels any critic of the president. Although all these Islamist critics used as friendly and respectful a tone as possible, they could not escape being labeled as disloyal or treacherous. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/01/turkey-why-islamists-are-no-longer-erdogan-favorites.html
Gegen Erdogan und Armut
Um in der Mainmetropole eine Art Sozialforum nach dem Vorbild des »Demokratischen Kongresses der Völker« (HDK) in der Türkei zu gründen, waren am Sonntag rund 130 türkische und kurdische Migrantinnen und Migranten ins Frankfurter DGB-Haus gekommen. In der Türkei war erstmals 2009 ein solches Bündnis entstanden. Die Politiker der daraus hervorgegangenen linken Oppositionspartei HDP werden aktuell in der Türkei entrechtet, diskriminiert und verhaftet. »Wir wollen in Deutschland alle systemkritischen und fortschrittlichen Kräfte zusammenführen, um darauf hinzuwirken, den Ausnahmezustand und die Diktatur Recep Tayyip Erdogans in der Türkei zu beenden«, erklärte Mesud Duman, Pressesprecher des HDK Frankfurt. In Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Nürnberg und Köln habe sich der Kongress konstituiert, in weiteren Städten sei es geplant. Europaweit werde er am 4. Februar ins Leben gerufen. https://www.jungewelt.de/2017/01-18/017.php?sstr=t%C3%BCrkei
This is the reason why we don't dwell on Turkish deaths in the West
Turkey is alone. First, well take a look at the racist reasons for this. If 39 men and women had been slaughtered in Paris or Brussels or Berlin on New Years Eve, the headlines would ripple on for three or four days. Two or three days if the victims had been western European. But of course, this being Turkey, which is a Muslim country whose people are not always as white as those from Christendom the headlines drifted off far more quickly. Not our lot, we Westerners said. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/turkey-isis-istanbul-new-year-shooting-nightclub-erdogan-turks-kurds-syria-why-we-dont-dwell-in-the-a7505606.html
9000 HDP members detained, 2500 jailed in one and a half years
'Environmental massacre': Turkey accused of using coup powers to crush mine protest
The Cerattepe hill overlooking the city of Artvin in Turkey's northeast is one of the country's most idyllic areas of natural beauty. The area is one of the most biodiverse in Turkey, home to more than 600 plant species, 26 of which are distinct to the area, and hundreds of animal types including roe deer, wild boar and grey wolves.
Mining companies have long coveted Cerattepe, which is home to huge reserves of copper, gold, silver and mercury. For more than two decades, locals in Artvin have campaigned to prevent the destruction of Cerattepe and Artvin's ecosystem - often with great success - against a number of Turkish administrations. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mining-dispute-turkeys-artvin-province-exposes-rifts-1337225532
Turkish police arrest 12 in protests over purge of professors
Turkish police detained at least 12 people and fired tear gas to disperse hundreds more protesting outside Ankara University against the dismissal of dozens of professors, police sources and Reuters witnesses said.
Der Wahlkampf um das Verfassungsreferendum in der Türkei hat begonnen. Die AKP und die ihr nahestehenden Medien trommeln kräftig für ein "Ja", während aktuelle Umfragen weiter darauf hindeuten, dass eine deutliche Mehrheit der türkischen Bevölkerung gegen die Einführung des Präsidialsystems ist. https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Tuerkei-Mit-Gewalt-gegen-die-Nein-Sager-3617925.html
Is Erdogans Syria policy slipping through his fingers?
Mustafa Akyol writes that despite protests throughout the United States and worldwide over the Trump administrations executive order restricting access to the United States from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the same solidarity did not come from some of the Middle Eastern governments that often claim to be the defenders of the faith, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, which, Akyol added, not only has political expectations from Trump but also has a political elite that has a curious adoration for the new American president. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/erdogan-syria-policy-turkey-kurds-trump.html
Turkey moves billions in state assets to wealth fund for megaprojects
How political risks wreck Turkeys economic prospects
Invest in Turkey a promotional website by the Turkish government lists 10 main reasons why foreign investors should put their money in the country. Highlighting geopolitical advantages, the site describes Turkey as a natural bridge between both East-West and North-South axes, thus creating an efficient and cost-effective outlet to major markets. The country, it says, has an easy access to 1.6 billion customers in Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa and multiple markets worth $24 trillion in gross domestic product. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/turkey-how-country-squanders-its-geopolitical-edge.html
HDP: More than 318 members of our party detained today
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Central Executive Board (MYK) released a statement regarding the increasing operations of political genocide as part of which hundreds were taken into custody across Turkey today.
The statement announced that more than 318 people including administrators, provincial-district co-chairs and members of the HDP have been detained in Istanbul, İzmir, Van, Adana, Adıyaman, Kocaeli, Antep, Siirt, Bingöl, Malatya, Bursa and Ağrı provinces and their districts today.
The statement by the HDP said the following:
"The operations against our party, ongoing since July 2015, continue increasingly without a pause since the coup attempt of July 15, 2016. As many as 859 administrators, provincial-district co-chairs and members of our party were detained and 112 of them were arrested since the first day of 2017. As result of continued political genocide operations against our party and its constituents, at least 318 people have been unlawfully arrested today. A total of 9796 people have been taken into custody in operations against our party and its constituents since 22.07.2015, and 2906 of them were jailed, including Co-chairs, deputies, provincial-district co-chairs, administrators and members of our party. According to figures compiled by our IT department, 5471 people from our party were detained and 1482 were imprisoned since July 2016. The main goal of these operations, escalated after the finalization of the referendum date, is to make a referendum without the HDP. https://anfenglish.com/news/hdp-more-than-318-members-of-our-party-detained-today
.......Can Dündar, dem in der Türkei mehrere Jahre Haft drohen, hat gemeinsam mit Hayko Bagdat das zweisprachige Onlinemagazin Özgürüz ("Wir sind frei") gegründet, das unmittelbar nach dem Launch in der Türkei gesperrt wurde. Dündar und Bagdat wollen auf diesem Wege ein Gegengewicht auch zu den staatlichen türkischen Medien in Deutschland bilden und eine unabhängige, oppositionelle Stimme hörbar machen. https://ozguruz.org/de/ozguruz-de/
Turkey walks fine line in dealing with 'frenemy' jihadis
Turkish police detained four terrorist suspects linked to the Islamic State (IS), as well as a cache of explosives and suicide belts, as CIA Director Mike Pompeo arrived in Turkey for official talks Feb. 9.
The arrests are in line with a massive crackdown on Salafi and terrorist networks in Turkey this year. On Feb. 5-6, 820 alleged IS sympathizers and operatives were arrested in 29 cities across Turkey. In all of 2016, Turkish police detained and charged 2,936 people on charges of being Salafi or jihadi terrorists.
Metin Gurcan explains that the main reason for the crackdown is the political climate in Turkey, which is preparing for a constitutional amendment referendum in April that would greatly expand the president's power. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is very much aware of the shock effect of the Istanbul nightclub attack in the first hours of the new year. That attack heightened Turkish people's fear of IS and what it can do. The government was harshly criticized for the countrys intelligence and security flaws. IS-initiated, extreme Salafi violence on the eve of the referendum would further frighten the public and expose the government's weaknesses, probably boosting the 'no' votes. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/turkey-crackdown-terror-groups-syria-kurds-federalism-al-bab.html