Turkey Convicts World-Renowned Pianist for ‘Defaming’ Islam

By Andrew Harrod, In Daily Mailer,FrontPage A Turkish court on April 15, 2013, convicted world-renowned pianist Fazil Say under Article 216(3) of the Turkish Penal Code.  This article punishes “[a]nyone who openly denigrates the religious values of a part of the population” with imprisonment of six months to … Continue reading →

Double Blow Against Freedom Of Speech For Twitter Users In Turkey

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Techdirt has written a few times about Turkey’s difficult relationship with new technology. Unfortunately, it looks like that now includes Twitter, as two troubling decisions against users have been handed down recently. Here’s the first, as reported by the Turkish Web site Hürriyet … Continue reading →

PM Erdoğan hits a nerve over country’s “national drink”

Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer By Jonathon Burch ANKARA (Reuters) – If you are looking for one sure way to split public opinion in Turkey, just bring up the word alcohol. That is what Turkey’s often divisive prime minister did late on … Continue reading →

Open Democracy: Media freedom in Turkey: just how bad is it?

Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country, and ranks low on indices of press freedom. Just how bad is the situation, and how can it be ameliorated? By Aslan Amani The Reporters without Borders (RWB), The Committee … Continue reading →

The Tale of Uncle Tsarnaev, CIA Chief Graham Fuller and a Turkish Islamist Who Lives in USA

What could be the connection between the Boston Marathon bombing suspects’ uncle Ruslan, an ex-CIA Fuller and a Turkish Imam named Fethullah Gulen? Turkish preacher named Fethullah Gülen has been living in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania since 1999. Despite not having an … Continue reading →

Committee to Protect Journalists: Turkey peace talks positive; press freedom still in peril

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his intolerance to criticism. (Reuters/Peter Dejong/Pool) By Özgür Öğret/CPJ Istanbul Correspondent Today, hope for peace between the government of Turkey and Kurdish rebels is closer than ever to becoming reality. A … Continue reading →

The Economist: The press in Turkey: Not so free

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The government finds different ways to intimidate the free media FIRST comes the phone call, usually from a prime ministerial adviser. Displeasure over the critical writings of a columnist is relayed. He or she is admonished. “Tone it down,” bosses … Continue reading →

International Business Times: Time For US To See Turkey As It Is

By Lawrence J. Haas | April 04 2013 11:28 AM “Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to visit Turkey this week,” Reuters reported on Wednesday, “as part of a trip to Western Europe and Asia to consult allies on … Continue reading →