Author Archives: cecbill

Send Birthday Greetings to Hakan Yaman

Posted on October 9, 2014 by cecbill

As readers of this blog know, Amnesty has continuously been campaigning on behalf of Hakan Yaman, who was caught up in a brutal attack by police officers during the Gezi crackdown while he was simply walking on his way home … Continue reading →

Posted in Amnesty International, Excessive Force, Freedom of Expression, Gezi Park | Tagged Hakan Yaman, Human Rights, Turkey | Comments Off

The Fusun Erdogan Case: “You just be afraid of us”

Posted on April 20, 2014 by cecbill

Last December, I wrote on the case of Fusun Erdogan, who was sentences to life imprisonment plus 300 years without the possibility of parole. Erdogan was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization in a trial criticized by Reporters without … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Press Freedom, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Erdogan, Erhan Tuncel, European Federation of Journalists, Freedom of Expression, Fusun Erdogan, Journalists, Reporters Without Borders | Comments Off

Turkish Domestic Violence Victims: No Place To Go

Posted on March 6, 2014 by cecbill

In 2005, there were only 16 shelters in Turkey for survivors of domestic violence. To deal with this, Turkey passed a law mandating that municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants open at least one shelter for survivors of domestic violence. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Al Monitor, Sakarya, Tevhide Yagan, Thomas Siebert, Turkey Domestic Violence | Comments Off

In Turkey, new steps to control the internet

Posted on February 6, 2014 by cecbill

On February 5, the Turkish Parliament passed a law that further tightened the government’s control over the internet. The government already blocks some 40,000 internet sites, but the newly enacted legislation goes well beyond previous restrictions.

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Internet Freedom, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Freedom of the Press, Gezi Park, Internet Censorship, Prime Minister Erdogan, Semih Idiz, Turkish Directorate of Telecommunications, Turkish Ministry for Transport and Communication | Comments Off

Turkey Tightens the Noose on Freedom of Speech

Posted on January 13, 2014 by cecbill

It should have surprised no one when another Turkish journalist was fired this past weekend for criticizing the government. Yeni Safak columnist Murat Aksoy commented on CNN Turk that “the state has collapsed and the government has not been able … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Internet Freedom, Uncategorized | Tagged Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Press, internet freedom, Murat Aksoy, Press Freedom, Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkey | Comments Off

Muharrem Erbey: Another Victim of Turkey’s Anti-Terror Laws.

Posted on January 11, 2014 by cecbill

On January 8, PEN International issued a “call to action” on behalf of Muharrem Erbrey, a writer, lawyer, and human rights activist in Diyarbakir. Erbrey has been in prison now for over 4 years, charged with violating Turkey’s notorious anti-terror … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, International Senior Lawyers Project, Muharrem Erbey, Osman Bayendir, PEN International, Turkey | Comments Off

Fusun Erdogan: Prisoner for Life Plus 300 Years

Posted on December 16, 2013 by cecbill

Fusun Erdogan, the founder of Turkish leftist radion station Ozgur Radyo, was arrested in 2006. For two years, she had no idea of what her crime was, then she discovered she was charged with being a member of an illegal … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Amnesty International, European Federation of Journalists, Freedom of Expression, Fusun Erdogan, Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, Reporters Without Borders, Turkey, Turkish Special Heavy Penal Courts | Comments Off

What happened to Hakan? We know. You know. It is time to take action!

Posted on December 5, 2013 by cecbill

A few days ago AI Turkey projected the words “Hakan Yaman’a ne oldu?” (“What happened to Hakan Yaman?) on the front of Istanbul’s main courthouse and on Galata Tower, an Istanbul landmark. (See the video here.) Actually, Amnesty International … Continue reading →

Posted in Excessive Force, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Expression, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Amnesty, Diren Gezi, excessive force, Gezi Park, Hakan Yaman, Hakan Yaman'a ne oldu?, Turkey | Comments Off

Turkey Wants Interpol to Arrest Pinar Selek

Posted on August 28, 2013 by cecbill

Last January, we posted on Pinar Selek’s conviction and sentencing to aggravated life imprisonment (i.e., imprisonment with no possibility of parole) despite her having been acquitted of the same crime three times over a fifteen-year period. It was, we said, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of Expression, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Amnesty International, Interpol, Justice, Pinar Selek, Turkey | Comments Off

The Plot and the Ivory Tower: Scholars targeted in the Ergenekon Trial

Posted on August 6, 2013 by cecbill

The Ergenekon trial, which dragged on for six years, finally made international headlines when it decided the fate of 275 suspects August 5. Most reporting on the decisions handed down by the court focused on the life sentences given to … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tagged Ergenekon, Fatih Hilmioglu, International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies, Kemal Alemdaroglu, Kemal Guruz, Mehmet Haberal, Mustafa Abbas Yurtkuran, post-modern coup, Riza Ferit Bernay, turkish generals | Comments Off