Category: World

Turkish courts have thus far handed down sentences to 4,154 defendants in 137 cases involving a failed coup in 2016, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday.

A total of 289 cases have been launched against coup suspects, Anadolu said, adding that 279 of the cases have been concluded.

Out of the 4,154 defendants who were sentenced to prison, 1,315 were given aggravated life and 1,218 received life sentences, while 1,621 people were handed down prison sentences of varying lengths, the shortest being 14 months.

Apart from coup trials, thousands of others have been convicted of membership in or leading a terrorist group after they were detained over alleged ties to the Gülen movement.

The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding the July 15, 2016 failed coup, although the movement denies any involvement.

A Mersin court that handed down a prison sentence of 19 years, six months to jailed investigative journalist Mehmet Baransu on three separate charges said in its reasoned decision that he had shared classified information with the public with “terror motives” and not for purposes of journalism.

Baransu, who has been behind bars since March 2015, received the sentence in the case against staff of the defunct Taraf newspaper who were accused of obtaining and publishing state documents and of having links to a terrorist group.

He was sentenced over his 2013 reporting for Taraf of an alleged customs fraud involving the import of genetically modified rice by a pro-government businessman, which he claimed was hushed up by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In July, the investigative journalist was sentenced to two years in prison for “violating privacy,” to four years for “disclosing classified information” and to 13 years, six months for “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” namely the Gülen movement.

President Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) accuse the faith-based movement inspired by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen of masterminding a failed coup on July 15, 2016 and label it a “terrorist organization,” although the group strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

Baransu was acquitted of “obtaining personal data” and “libel” in the same trial.

The Mersin 2nd High Criminal Court announced its reasoned decision on Wednesday, saying that Baransu “obtained classified information and documents from security units by means that could not be detected and shared them [with the public] in columns and tweets to create a public opinion in line with the plans of the organization.”

“The way he shared the information and the language he used [in his news reports] are beyond the boundaries of the right of the press to communicate,” the court further said in the decision.

The Taraf newspaper, shut down in 2016, gained prominence for its liberal stance and its extensive reporting on the operations of Turkey’s deep state, which is alleged to be a group of anti-democratic coalitions within the Turkish political system, including high-level figures from the Turkish military, security agencies and judiciary as well as the mafia.

Incarcerated in Silivri Prison in İstanbul, Baransu faces nearly a thousand years in jail as part of scores of other cases.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described Turkey as “the world’s biggest jailer of professional journalists” in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index, in which Turkey was ranked 154th among 180 countries in terms of press freedom.

A Kurdish member of the Turkish parliament is among 65 people including other Kurds and former public servants who have fled government persecution in Turkey to seek asylum in Greece, according to a report in the Greek City Times newspaper on Thursday.

The paper said a boat carrying asylum seekers from Turkey arrived in the Western Greek town of Katakolo in Ilia on Tuesday afternoon and that its passengers included former Turkish police officers, militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), academics, a member of the Turkish parliament and a journalist. The report did not reveal the name of the deputy or whether the person was a former or current MP.

According to the report, 20 of the police officers were followers of the Gülen movement, listed as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government, while 10 were members of the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the US.

A Kurdish journalist known only as Azad who was reportedly persecuted and imprisoned for three years in Turkey, said: “Prison is tough. The Turkish authorities have nothing to do with those in Greece. I want to leave for any country where I can communicate in English and be able to continue my life.”

Thousands of people including Gülen movement followers and Kurds had to flee Turkey in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, following which the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on non-loyalist citizens under the pretext of an anti-coup fight.

The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding the failed coup, while the movement strongly denies any involvement in the coup attempt.

At least 12 people died and 419 were injured in Turkey’s western province of Izmir in a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that struck between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos on Friday.

The tremor could be felt as far away as Istanbul and the Greek islands, where officials said some of the buildings and roads were damaged, with eight people suffering light injuries on the island of Samos.

According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the epicenter of the earthquake was some 17 kilometers (11 miles) off the coast of İzmir, at a depth of 16 kilometers.

Witnesses said people flooded into the streets in İzmir after the quake struck. At least 20 multi-story buildings had collapsed, with smoke rising into the sky, in several areas, according to the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) İzmir deputy Atilla Kaya.

Images posted on social media in the aftermath of the earthquake showed water rushing through the streets of Izmir from an apparent sea surge.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu also said other western Turkish provinces, including Uşak, Denizli, Manisa, Balıkesir, Aydın and Muğla, saw only slight damage to several buildings with no casualties reported.

Turkey is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In August 1999 a 7.6 magnitude quake struck İzmit, southeast of Istanbul, claiming the lives of more than 17,000 people including hundreds in İstanbul. Since then, experts have warned that a major earthquake is expected to hit İstanbul.

Eight journalists appeared in an İstanbul criminal court on Wednesday in the first hearing of their retrial, made possible when the country’s top court earlier this year overturned their prison sentences, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The retrial of journalists Ahmet Memiş, Ali Akkuş, Cemal Azmi Kalyoncu, Gökçe Fırat Çulhaoğlu, Ünal Tanık, Yakup Çetin, Yetkin Yıldız and Atilla Taş, who also a singer, began on Wednesday at the İstanbul 25th High Criminal Court. They face charges of membership in a terrorist organization due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in July 2016, a claim strongly denied by the movement.

The journalists had previously been convicted of membership in the Gülen movement and sentenced to prison. The Supreme Court of Appeals said the defendants’ actions did not constitute sufficient evidence to prove their affiliation with the group.

The high court in its decision also said the journalists’ publications cannot be viewed as simple journalism, either, and that they constitute the crime of deliberately aiding and abetting the movement without having membership in it.

In their defense statements, the journalists denied having any links to the Gülen movement, saying their actions considered to be criminal were within the limits of journalism. They asked for their acquittal as well as removal of the judicial supervision measures imposed on them.

“Make a ruling that will allow us to say there are [independent] judges in this country,” Taş told the panel of judges.

The court refused to remove the judicial supervision measures imposed on the journalists such as a travel ban, saying they are proportionate to the charges, and adjourned the trial until March 21, 2021

One of the leading jailers of journalists in the world, Turkey was ranked 154th out of 180 countries in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Muslims from an Austrian NGO on Wednesday visited the scene of a recent attack in Vienna that left four dead and 23 wounded in an incident branded by the Austrian government as a terrorist act, to commemorate the victims.

The Friede Institute for Dialogue, a non-profit organization promoting peaceful coexistence through dialogue, also published a press statement condemning the violence and expressing their condolences for the victims.

UNS BLUTET DAS HERZ. *

We were horrified by the terrorist attack that this time targeted our beloved city and our country. We strongly condemn this despicable and cowardly act. We send our condolences to the relatives of the victims and wish a speedy recovery for the wounded.

We would like to thank all the security forces and health workers who have risked their lives to protect people and prevent things from getting worse. As devout Muslims at the Friede Institute for Dialogue, we are committed to our ideals of living in peace and upholding human dignity, human rights, democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression and pluralism.

“Every human was created as worthy, and every human life is sacred no matter their beliefs.”

Fethullah Gülen, October 30, 2020

Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen clearly expressed our views on the cruelty that took place in his condemnation of last week’s terrorist attacks in France:

“Committing these kinds of atrocities is a clear sign that the perpetrators have not benefited from the Prophet’s message that embraces all of humanity with compassion. At the same time, such actions are the greatest disrespect to his legacy.”

Words can lose their meaning and become inadequate in the face of terrorism. We can find ourselves in deep silence. However, it is exactly the opposite that should prevail against this brutal and inhumane behavior, and we should speak up even more powerfully.

As the Friede Institute for Dialogue, we will continue to express our commitment to peaceful coexistence and persist in our tireless efforts to that end. Every attempt to undermine social peace and harmony will only increase our dedication to our shared values.

*In German: “Our heart is bleeding”

Erdoğan Erduran (52), a former teacher suffering from prostate cancer, has contracted COVID-19 in a prison in the southern city of Antalya where he is in pre-trial detention on trumped-up terrorism charges.

Erduran was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and was arrested pending trial in November 2019 for alleged membership in the Gülen movement. His treatment was cut short due to his arrest, and although he appealed for release, the Council of Forensic Medicine issued a report stating that he was fit to live in prison conditions.

Erduran has not yet been convicted of a crime. According to the Turkish Penal Code, even prison sentences can be suspended if the convict is critically ill.

The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, of masterminding a coup attempt in July 2016 and labels it a terrorist organization. The movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

Erduran shared a ward with nearly 30 other prisoners, although five were allegedly diagnosed with COVID-19. In an interview with Bold Medya his wife, Sıddıka Erduran, said authorities did not respond to questions concerning her husband’s health.

According to his wife Erduran said their ward was neglected by prison authorities and that his cancer treatment was delayed. “He said even their food was delivered through a small door and that they have been left to die.” She added that Erduran’s cancer had progressed in prison.

Sıddıka Erduran claimed she was not informed about her husband’s condition. “One morning a couple of health officials came to our door and told us my husband had tested positive for the coronavirus. They have not given us any more detail, although I told them he had cancer and that we were extremely worried.”

Her husband has not been taken to a hospital, according to Sıddıka Erduran, and she could not reach prison authorities. Their children are trying to make their father’s case heard on social media platforms to ensure his release.

She claimed that he had access to medication for his cancer only two months ago, with a court decision allowing him to receive injections. ‘We were worried it was too late to treat his cancer, and now this has happened.”

Following the coup attempt, the Turkish government declared a state of emergency and launched a massive crackdown on followers of the Gülen movement under the pretext of an anti-coup fight. Over 540,000 people were detained on terrorism-related charges, more than 80,000 were arrested or imprisoned and over 150,000 public servants were summarily removed from their jobs for alleged membership in or relationships with “terrorist organizations.” The purge mainly targeted people who were allegedly affiliated with the Gülen movement but included other people from a wide variety of backgrounds as well.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a statement Sunday that his country’s armed forces had destroyed equipment belonging to the Armenian military in retaliation for the latter’s attacks on the country.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said earlier on the same day that Armenia had launched large-scale attacks against its civilians and military, with Baku launching a retaliatory operation along the “contact line” – a heavily-mined no-man’s-land that separates Armenian-backed forces from Azerbaijani troops in the region.

The president said that the fallen among Azerbaijan’s civilians and military would be avenged and that Azerbaijan would defend its territory.

In a televised address to the nation, Aliyev vowed victory over Armenian forces.

“Our cause is just and we will win,” Aliyev said, repeating a famous quote from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s address at the outbreak of World War II with Nazi Germany.

“Azerbaijani army is fighting on its territory,” he said.

“Karabakh is our ours, Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” he said, in reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is currently under illegal Armenian occupation.

“This morning, our civilians and military positions were attacked from multiple directions,” Aliyev added, saying that heavy artillery was used by Armenia’s armed forces.

“As a result of the enemy’s attacks, we have suffered both civilian and military casualties. May God grant mercy on the fallen. They will be avenged,” he said.

“The Azerbaijani military is now firing back at the enemy’s military positions. Much of their military equipment has been destroyed,” Aliyev added.

“This attack is another manifestation of Armenian fascism,” he said.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani military released a statement, saying that its army is “fully staffed.”

There is no need for total military mobilization as its army is fully staffed, it said.

Azerbaijan liberates six villages

As the clashes continue, Azerbaijani military has captured six villages that were previously under Armenian occupation.

According to a statement by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense, the country’s military forces have liberated the villages from illegal occupation.

Previously, Armenia declared martial law and total military mobilization following clashes with Azerbaijan.

The two former Soviet countries have long been in conflict over the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is under illegal Armenian occupation, with border clashes intensifying in recent months.

Ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh declared so-called independence during a conflict that broke out as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Though a cease-fire was agreed in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia frequently accuse each other of attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the separate Azerbaijani-Armenian frontier.

Mutlu Gülerce, one of a group of soldiers kept handcuffed and stripped down to their underwear in a barn after an attempted coup on July 15, 2016, has announced on social media that all the soldiers held in that barn, more than 400 of them, have been acquitted of coup-related charges.

Bu resimdeki askerlerden biriydim.

Devrelerimle birlikte 16 Temmuz sabahında okuldan alınıp bu ahıra götürülmüş ve insanlık dışı muamele görmüştük.

Sonrasında A.Aktaş gibilerin lincine maruz kalmıştık.Bugün ben ve devrelerim Darbeden BERAAT ETTİ.

Söyleyin bu utanmaz müfteriye pic.twitter.com/0T5qUwGsss

— Mutlu Gülerce (@GulerceMutlu) October 27, 2020

A photograph showing dozens of Turkish soldiers huddled together handcuffed and in their underwear in a horse barn became one of the most iconic symbols of the failed coup.

Ali Aktaş of Turkey’s Islamist Felicity Party (SP), who is also a lawyer, shared the photo on Twitter two days after the attempted coup, saying, “The putschist donkeys are kept in the barn.”

Gülerce, a former trainee lieutenant in training and Turkish Military Academy graduate who was detained and expelled from the service after the coup bid, announced in a tweet on Tuesday that all the soldiers kept in the barn were acquitted of coup charges.

“I was one of the soldiers in that photo. With my fellow soldiers, I was taken from the school [the gendarmerie school in Ankara] on the morning of July 16 and brought to this barn, where we faced inhuman treatment. We were then lynched [on social media] by people such as A. Aktaş. My fellow soldiers and I were acquitted today. Let that shameless slanderer know,” Gülerce said, referring to Aktaş.

Gülerce had spoken to Turkish media earlier in 2020 and revealed what happened in the barn.

According to his statements, the inhuman treatment some 400 soldiers were subjected to in the barn included insults, swearing, stripping of their clothes, deprivation of water and 36 hours without food, with the soldiers having to sit cross-legged with their hands cuffed behind their backs, facing the wall.

“It was forbidden to stand up or to talk. They constantly lined us up and counted us. There was psychological and physical pressure. They came periodically and slapped some of us. Some people reached their limit and had nervous collapses and fainted. Others passed out from hunger and thirst,” Gülerce said.

“Let alone asking how the unconscious soldiers were, they didn’t perform any first aid or provide any kind of medical care. The ones who had fainted remained there until they regained consciousness.”

“They were sending us to use the bathroom in a corner of the barn. Sometimes they took us out of the area and made us quickly urinate on the wall. They made us defecate, barefoot and handcuffed, in a few toilets in that place,” he added.

Gülerce also revealed that they were kept in their underwear for a week in a gathering area at Sincan Prison, too.

“It was freezing over there. Some of us got sick. We had a commander who had kidney disease; his situation was worse. We were very cold both in the barn and in Sincan Prison. We gathered in groups of 10 in order to protect ourselves from the cold in Sincan,” Gülerce said.

Some of the defendants in the same case reportedly received sentences for their suspected links to the Gülen movement, which is labeled as a terrorist organization by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), who also accuse Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Muslim preacher who inspired the faith-based movement, of orchestrating the failed coup.

Although Gülen and his followers deny the coup-related allegations against them, the Turkish government has removed more than 130,000 civil servants from their jobs and imprisoned some 80,000 people over links to the movement as part of a crackdown that followed the abortive putsch.

An Ankara-based aviation company owns the aircraft used in alleged renditions of Turkish dissidents by the country’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), according to an investigative report by Nordic Monitor published on Friday.

According to documents published by Nordic Monitor, two Bombardier Challengers with tail numbers TT4010 and TCKLE as well as a Sikorsky S-76C helicopter are owned by Mavi Başkent Havacılık Turizm Ticaret ve Sanayi A.Ş.

The report states that the aircraft were used in secret rendition flights from abroad, with Turkish intelligence orchestrating the abduction of opponents and critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Bombardier Challenger with tail number TT4010 was exposed in a rendition attempt in Mongolia when the country’s vice minister of transportation tweeted pictures of the aircraft waiting on the runway to take Turkish citizens allegedly linked to the Gülen movement back to Turkey.

Turkey accuses the Gülen group, a faith-based network inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016 and designates the group as a terrorist organization.

Чингис хаан ОУНБ-д УИХ-ын Хүний эрхийн дэд хорооны гишүүн @boldlu , ЗТХЯ, ИНЕГ, ХХЕГ, ГЕГ-ын холбогдох хүмүүс ажиллаж байна.

ГХ дэд сайд Б.Батцэцэг удахгүй мэдээлэл хийнэ.

Онгоц хяналтад байна. pic.twitter.com/mB2G0HlkgR

— Шилэн Цогоо (@TsogtgerelB) July 27, 2018

The other Bombardier had been sighted in Pristina during the rendition of six Turkish citizens who were jailed after their return to Turkey in a joint extralegal operation of both countries’ spy agencies that breached 31 laws and regulations, according to the Kosovar parliament.

The front company that owns the private aircraft is operated by Turkey’s spy agency, MİT, according to the Nordic Monitor investigation.

After the scandals, MİT changed the name of the front aviation company, on January 17, 2019, to Mavi Başkent from its original name of Birleşik İnşaat Turizm Ticaret ve Sanayi A.Ş., listed as a construction, tourism and trade firm on paper, according to Nordic Monitor.

Its location was changed on December 23, 2019 to an office address in Çankaya (Meşrutiyet Mahallesi Meşrutiyet Cad. Menderes İş Hanı Apt. No: 9/5) from an office in Yenimahalle (Gayret Mahallesi, Ivedik Caddesi Ahmet Hamdi Sokak No:61), where it was originally located on the compound of MIT headquarters.

According to official trade registry records dating from June 26, 2020, an association established to support MİT operatives called the Foundation for Social Security and Solidarity for National Intelligence Organization Personnel (MİPVAK) owns the Mavi Başkent company. Both MİPVAK and Mavi Başkent are located at the same address in the Turkish capital.

Nordic Monitor delves into details about the members of the executive board and claims that some of them are MİT operatives.

Critics view Turkey’s efforts to bring alleged Gülenists back home as a global threat, as the country’s officials publicly boast about the numbers and vow to apprehend Gülen followers “wherever they are.”