Category: World

Four out of six men who were allegedly abducted by the Turkish intelligence agency in February and were missing for months were arrested by a court on Friday evening over Gülen links, according to Deutsche Welle Turkish service.

Yasin Ugan, Özgür Kaya, Erkan Irmak and Salim Zeybek have been in police custody since July 28.

Gökhan Türkmen and Mustafa Yılmaz, who were also abducted in February, are still missing.

Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a Turkish deputy and human rights activist, called the court ruling a “scandal,” reporting that the detainees did not even know the names of their attorneys, who according to officials they hired.

Lawyers from human rights organizations were removed from the corridors near the courtroom by the police, the DW report stated.

Turkey accuses the Gülen movement of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, although it strongly denies any involvement.

Since 2016 at least 24 Gülen-linked individuals have gone missing.

Two of the abducted Gülen followers told Correctiv, a non-profit investigative newsroom in Europe, they had been subjected to torture and ill treatment by intelligence officers at a secret site in Ankara.

Hanife Çiftçi, who was jailed in June when she was seven weeks pregnant due to her alleged links to the Gülen movement, lost her unborn baby and was sent back to prison from the hospital on the same day, the tr724 news website reported on Wednesday.

Çiftçi, who was put in pre-trial detention on June 27 in Osmaniye in southern Turkey although she had complications and bleeding, was hospitalized on July 31. It turned out that the 12-week-old baby had no heartbeat and the doctors had to perform an abortion.

Although the woman had the risk of developing an infection following the abortion due to the unhygienic conditions in prison, she was jailed again despite several petitions demanding her release.

Çiftçi’s husband, Salih, tweeted, “It is hard to understand this lack of remorse.”

Hanife Çiftçi will appear in court for the first time on Oct. 2.

The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

Turkish law requires postponement of the arrest of pregnant women until they give birth and the infant reaches the age of six months.

Since the failed coup attempt, Turkey has been conducting a massive witch-hunt against people from all walks of life on charges of “coup involvement.” Many women jailed with their young children, immediately after delivery or while pregnant, are believed to be linked to the Gülen movement.

At first glance, blocks of feta produced in Australia or in Greece are not as different as chalk and cheese. But for the European Union, they are.

The Australian ministry for trade on Tuesday released a list of 408 products — 172 foods and 236 spirits — the EU wants protected as Geographical Indications (GIs) as part of a trade deal between the two parties.

Among them: Feta, Gruyere, Manchego, Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Nurnberger Bratwurste and Scotch beef.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC television on Tuesday morning that the country “doesn’t like the idea of geographical indications but this is a non-negotiable element from the European Union.”

In a statement, he said the government’s consultation with farmers would “help us better understand the views of Australian industry, which will assist us in our ongoing discussion with the EU on why their requested protection of certain terms will not be acceptable in some cases.”

He added however that “there are enormous opportunities for Australian farmers and businesses if we can improve their access to markets across the EU” as the Old Continent “boasts more than 500 million consumers”. He then stressed that “ultimately, we will only do this deal if overall it is in Australia’s interests to do so.”

GIs certify that a product has been made in a specific place of origin according to certain quality requirements.

This token of quality — which can take up to four years to acquire in the EU — allows producers to market their product as premium and protect them from other manufacturers using the name but not complying with the necessary requirements.

The most famous examples include Parma ham, Feta Cheese and Champagne. In European supermarket aisles, it is not uncommon to see Feta next to identical-looking “salad cheese” and Champagne bottles on the same shelf as “sparkling wine” from other member states.

Wine, which was the subject of its own deal between Australia and the EU years ago, is not concerned and the list allows some leeway on certain items. Australian cheesemakers will still be able to produce camembert and brie — known the world over as French — as the EU GIs are for “Camembert de Normandie” and “Brie de Meaux.”

But Australian farmers are still cheesed off.

Tony Mahar, CEO of the National Farmer’s Federation said that “Australian farmers will be worse off should the Government ultimately agree to the EU’s demands that we extend protection for geographical indications to food and other wines and spirits.”

“If the EU truly believes in trade and open markets, then it’s time to end the hypocrisy and remove the barriers blocking Australian agricultural imports,” he added in a statement.

Australia ranked as the 18th-largest trade in goods partner of the EU, while the bloc represented Australia’s second-largest trading partner after China in 2017, according to the European Commission. euronews

New Zealand has become caught in the middle of the stoush brewing between Australia and Pacific leaders in Tuvalu over climate change.

Pacific countries want Australia to take stronger action on climate change domestically, a demand Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has so far rebuffed.

As the leaders meet for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Tuvalu’s capital, Funafuti, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s position will be crucial to determining what the group of leaders can agree upon.

Mr Morrison yesterday announced a $500 million package of funding, redirected from aid spending, to help Pacific countries invest in renewable energy and become more resilient to climate and weather events.

But Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Enele Sopoaga, warned that the climate money should not be used by Australia as an excuse to avoid reducing emissions and phasing out coal-fired power generation.

Today, Ms Ardern has backed calls by the leaders of Tuvalu and Fiji that every country must commit to greater cuts in carbon emissions.

“Like our Pacific Island neighbours, we will continue that international call,” she said.

“We will continue to say that New Zealand will do its bit and we have an expectation that everyone else will as well — we have to.

“New Zealand, relative to other nations, has a relatively small emissions profile, however, if we all took the perspective that if you’re small it doesn’t matter, we wouldn’t see change.

“Every single little bit matters.”

Ms Ardern would not give a direct answer when pressed on whether Australia’s commitment under the Paris Agreement to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent was adequate, as other Pacific leaders have said.The leaders at the PIF meeting in Funafuti are expected to come to a consensus on a statement on climate change, which is being negotiated over the course of the week.Australia is pushing back against plans to include in the statement a timeframe for phasing out the use of coal-fired power generation and committing more funding to the UN-backed Green Climate Fund that supports developing countries.

Ms Ardern did not rule out New Zealand making future contributions to the Green Climate Fund, but echoed concerns Australia has raised about its efficacy.

“Some of our Pacific neighbours haven’t been able to access climate finance,” she said.

“That some of the direct funding that we’re able to put in around protecting water supply, around costal hazards, that’s equally important too.

“So you’ll see from some our aid and development support, we’ve gone directly while also acknowledging the multilateral institutions and funds.”

At a function with the leaders of Tuvalu and Nauru, Mr Morrison committed to “talk[ing] about the future of the environment”.

“When families come together, they talk about the stuff that matters, what’s most important to them,” he said.

A prosecutor on Tuesday demanded lengthy prison sentences for Turkish businessman Cafer Tekin İpek and his mother, Melek İpek, on charges of membership in the faith-based Gülen movement and violating tax law, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Turkish government seized İpek Holding in November 2015 over alleged irregularities in financial records and affiliation with the movement.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) launched a campaign against the movement after a corruption investigation implicating AKP cabinet members was exposed late in 2013.

Turkey also accuses Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Islamic cleric, and his followers of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, although Gülen strongly denies any involvement.

The prosecutor demands 90 years for Tekin İpek and 20 years for his mother.

Akın İpek, the former CEO of İpek Holding and elder brother of Tekin İpek, has been living in the UK, which denied an extradition request from Ankara this year. Tekin İpek and his mother are resident in Turkey.

By Abdullah Bozkurt-nordicmonitor

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt comprise the “Devil’s Triangle,” said Hayrettin Karaman, chief fatwa (religious edict) giver for Turkish President Recep Tayyip and a leading ideologue for the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood.

Writing for the pro-Iran Yeni Şafak daily on May 5, 2019, Karaman lashed out at all three countries as well as Bahrain for designating the Muslim Brotherhood’s International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS) as a terrorist entity. Karaman, an 84-year-old professor who is  called the Turkish version of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, was elected vice president of IAMS at a major convention held in Turkey in November 2018.

Karaman described IAMS as an organization that endeavors to liberate Muslims in Islamic countries from oppressive dictators who seized power and are servants of the enemies of Islam. In a previous article he wrote on May 3, 2019, Karaman accused Egypt, Saudi Arabia and some Gulf States of helping realize the plans of Israel and the United States for the Islamic world including handing over Palestine to the Jewish state and assassinating those who oppose their plans. He claimed that US President Donald Trump has been deceived by his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, about the Brotherhood, which the US leader is prepared to designate a terrorist organization.

In fact, this radical cleric endorsed torture and ill treatment in Turkey in an article he wrote on February 2, 2017 in which he said that “no punishment can be imposed on soldiers who committed lesser crimes while fighting.” He was referring wide-scale and credible allegations of torture, abuse and ill treatment in detention centers and prisons in Turkey following a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The column coincided with reports of international watchdogs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch along with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture that confirmed the abuse and torture.

He has continued to be an outspoken advocate of the mass persecution in Turkey under the Erdoğan regime that has resulted in the dismissal of close to 150,000 government employees without any effective judicial or administrative probes. The Gülen movement, led by US-based liberal Islamic thinker Fethullah Gülen, has borne the brunt of the massive crackdown by the Erdoğan government. Karaman wrote a number of columns that claimed Gülen followers had betrayed the authorities and therefore the abusive treatment inflicted on them by the government was justice and not persecution.

Karaman, an anti-Western cleric, drew criticism when he advocated the view that the Erdoğan government must acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) including nuclear weapons to deter the West and have them manufactured in Turkey. He wrote in a column published on March 16, 2017, “We need to consider producing these weapons rather than purchasing them without losing any time and with no regard to words [of caution] or hindrance from the West.” Karaman claimed the West was interfering in the Islamic world in general and in Turkey in particular through its economic and military powers. He added that the West, including the US, accumulated wealth by exploiting the East, shedding blood and destroying Eastern values.

The cleric is among those who promote Erdoğan as the leader of all Muslims, or caliph, and he has pushed the idea of absolute obedience to the Erdoğan regime for Muslims as many followers of the Turkish president have been led to believe that Erdoğan is the expected savior and the only Muslim leader who can stand up to the West, crusaders and Israel. In an article in Yeni Şafak, a pro-Erdoğan Islamist newspaper, on December 25, 2015, Karaman argued that “the presidential system is like the Islamic caliphate system in which the people elect the president [caliph/ruler], then all pledge allegiance [biyat] to him.” He claimed that defying Erdoğan is against Islam and that the Muslim faith requires believers to cast their votes for him in elections.

Turkish prosecutors on Friday ordered the detention of 61 people, including military members, as part of a massive post-coup crackdown targeting faith-based Gülen movement followers.

The Erdoğan government accuses the movement of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, although it strongly denies any involvement.

The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 20 military members over Gülen links, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The report said 17 of the suspects are on active duty, while three were suspended in administrative investigations.

The prosecutor accused the suspects of using pay phones to maintain their alleged ties with the Gülen movement.

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also issued detention warrants for 29 people on allegations of Gülen links.

The suspects are accused of using ByLock, a smartphone application that was believed to have been used among Gülen movement followers.

Meanwhile police in Samsun detained 14 people, including soldiers, former public servants, doctors and students, after the issuance of detention warrants for 12 people on suspicion of Gülen links.

According to the report two suspects sought by the prosecutor in another investigation were also taken into custody.

Over half a million people have been subjected to prosecution for alleged membership in the Gülen movement, according to the Justice Ministry.

Large-scale detentions have been ongoing for the last three years.

Turkey’s Ministry of Justice is poised to build 43 new prisons using funds provided by its department responsible for generating income through inmate labor, the Sözcü newspaper reported on Thursday.

This new group of prisons will be constructed in addition to the 48 others previously revealed to be underway, which are planned to occupy 6 million square meters of land and use some $1.5 billion in ministry funds.

The 43 new prisons will cost the ministry a notably lower amount of about $650,000 as it will partly rely on revenue generated by the ministry’s Department of Workshops, which puts inmates to work in various areas such as agriculture, animal husbandry, textiles, handcrafts and manufacturing.

In 2018 the department allocated nearly 40 percent of its revenue to the construction of prisons, with the number of inmates recruited to work topping 58,595 by the end of the year.

The government announced 166 new correctional facilities between 2006 and 2019. Now it plans to spend some $2 billion to introduce 91 new ones by 2021.

According to March 2019 figures from Turkey’s Directorate General of Prisons and Houses of Detention, Turkey has a total of 396 penal institutions with a capacity to accommodate some 220,000 people. Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül stated, however, that there were 260,144 people in prison as of November 2018.

Turkish police on Tuesday detained the wife and daughter of Associate Professor Ahmet Turan Özcerit, who was removed from his job, jailed and died of cancer in the wake of a failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016.

The reasons for the detention of Esra Özcerit, a housewife, and daughter Senanur Özcerit, a university student, in the northwestern Turkish province of Sakarya were unknown.

Özcerit’s son, Sinan, a student at Bilkent University in Ankara, announced the news from his Twitter account on Tuesday morning and said there were actually 18 detentions in Sakarya on Tuesday and that friends of his sister, who are foreigners, were among the detainees.

“When my father passed away, you disturbed us by sending police to our home while we were mourning. Now, you detain my sister’s foreign friends just because she invited them to our home for a fast-breaking dinner. We have already been burned and are burning. Will you burn everyone who touches us?” tweeted son Özcerit.

Ahmet Turan Özcerit was among the thousands of civil servants who were removed from their jobs by the Turkish government due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. He was a faculty member of Sakarya University’s computer engineering department.

The Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the failed coup and terrorism, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.

Özcerit, who was subsequently jailed, was diagnosed with cancer while in prison and was only released when the cancer reached an advanced stage. He was kept in pre-trial detention for 13 months and died in February 2018.

The Turkish government cancelled 682 press cards between November and March, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported on Thursday.

According to the report there were 15,423 permanent press card holders and 5,709 yellow, or temporary, press card holders in November 2018. In March 2019, these figures fell to 14,759 and 5,691, respectively.

New regulations made it harder to obtain accreditation, which is necessary for both domestic and foreign journalists to be able to participate in official press briefings at the presidency, parliament and other government agencies.

Furthermore, foreign journalists need press cards in order to obtain residence permits and may have to leave the country if their accreditation is canceled.

Vague clauses such as “behavior that goes against the public order” were inserted in the regulations as grounds for cancellation along with many provisions from the Turkish Penal Code.

After the introduction of a presidential system of governance last year, the government agency that receives and handles press card applications was put under presidential jurisdiction and was renamed the “Directorate of Communications.”

Its authority was also extended in that it now has the ability to deny press cards even to journalists who fulfill all the criteria in the regulations.

Veysel Ok, founder and co-director of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), has challenged the provision at the Council of State as being in contravention of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Speaking to DW, Ok said that press cards are used by the Turkish government as a manipulative tool to further pressure journalists.

He also pointed out that the government’s narrative against criticism relative to press freedom hinges on accreditation in the sense that only those who have press cards are considered to be journalists.

“In their statements abroad they claim that there are no imprisoned journalists because no one with a press card is under arrest,” Ok said.

Many journalists, writers and cartoonists who face terrorism-related charges for their critical publications risk having their press cards revoked.

Turkey has become the largest jailer of journalists in the world according to several international rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) since a 2016 coup attempt that gave President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government increased authority to use counterterrorism laws against journalists.