Tag Archives: Kurdish people

CHP prepares report on ‘social deterioration’ in Turkey – POLITICS – Hurriyet Daily News

April 21, 2016 By in Defense Policy, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Immigration, People, Politics Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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This is a must-read article by Hurriyet Daily News, a leading Turkish newspaper. The article reports that a report prepared by the main opposition CHP deputy chair Lale Karabıyık about “social deterioration” in Turkey during the 13-year rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has alleged increasing rates of homicide, sexual abuse, drug addiction and sexual assault incidents.

Source: CHP prepares report on ‘social deterioration’ in Turkey – POLITICS

This is deeply worrying for people in Turkey.

However, the article should also be deeply worrying for people in Europe, especially in Germany, with Angela Merkel increasingly trying to win favor with Erdogan, the leader of the Justice and Development Party.

Thoughts?

Defamation? Germany launches criminal probe into satirical poem about Erdogan — RT News

April 7, 2016 By in Democracy, People, Politics Tags: , , , 1 Comment
English: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip E...

English: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Third Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


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This is an amazing story published by Russia’s leading news agency RT. It reports that a German prosecutor’s office has confirmed that it is investigating if TV comedian Jan Böhmermann violated the law by reciting a “defamatory poem” about Turkish President Erdogan, while Chancellor Angela Merkel called the piece “deliberately insulting.”

Source: Defamation? Germany launches criminal probe into satirical poem about Erdogan — RT News

‘Deliberately insulting’ is a weasel expression. Satire is part of Western culture and a part of a free society.

Two open questions readily come to mind:

  1. Whilst one must respect the laws of Germany, I wonder if there was political pressure to start the criminal probe?
  2. Surely, it’s no coincidence that Erdogan has Merkel over a barrel with regard to refugees.

Thoughts?