Wouter Massink

Wouter Massink

İstanbul Pride Parade: LGBTI+ activists gather despite restrictions, nearly 100 detained

İstanbul Pride Parade: LGBTI+ activists gather despite restrictions, nearly 100 detained

Amid heavy police presence in Taksim, the usual location for the Pride Parade, activists gathered in the nearby quarter of Nişantaşı without a prior public announcement.

Hearing of dozens in Boğaziçi Pride trial marks Turkey's Pride Month start

Hearing of dozens in Boğaziçi Pride trial marks Turkey's Pride Month start

During the last day of marathon hearings involving 70 students participating in last year's Boğaziçi Pride, İstanbul's Police Chief faced again allegations of employing excessive violence.

Seventy students on trial for Boğaziçi pride participation amid torture allegations

Seventy students on trial for Boğaziçi pride participation amid torture allegations

They face imprisonment for up to three years for 'resisting the police and opposing demonstration laws' during the 9th Pride Parade at Boğaziçi University on May 20, 2022.

Countdown to Turkey's presidential runoff: Propaganda ban begins ahead of Sunday's vote

Countdown to Turkey's presidential runoff: Propaganda ban begins ahead of Sunday's vote

As incumbent President Erdoğan and his rival Kılıçdaroğlu gear up for the decisive round of the presidential race, we bring you the latest updates.

Turkey’s parliamentary election outcomes: more women, conservatives, and nationalists

Turkey’s parliamentary election outcomes: more women, conservatives, and nationalists

Despite allegations of voter fraud and irregularities that may flip certain seats, the ruling People Alliance likely maintains a parliamentary majority with 322 representatives, while the strategy of the CHP to include members of the table of six under its list did not yield successful results.

Erdoğan lost, Erdoğan Won: headlines in Turkey after elections

Erdoğan lost, Erdoğan Won: headlines in Turkey after elections

Different newspapers give different perspectives on Sunday's results.

Erdoğan's alliance poised to win parliament, boosting his chances in runoff for presidency

TURKEY ELECTIONS

Erdoğan's alliance poised to win parliament, boosting his chances in runoff for presidency

Final results are yet to come, with both Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu apparently failed to reach the 50 percent threshold to win the presidential election in the first round.

Kılıçdaroğlu keeps a narrow lead over Erdoğan in latest polls

Kılıçdaroğlu keeps a narrow lead over Erdoğan in latest polls

A compilation of 11 recently conducted surveys suggests a slim lead for Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of the Nation's Alliance with 48.2% of the vote, while the incumbent, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, trails close with 47.6%.

Recycling workers offer depots as refuge, colleagues as blood donors in an earthquake

Recycling workers offer depots as refuge, colleagues as blood donors in an earthquake

İstanbul's Recycling Workers Association outlined their action plan for a potential earthquake, which involves repurposing their waste facilities into shelters and proposing their (migrant) companions as unbound strong rescuers and blood donors.

Erdoğan losing Kurdish vote as Kurdish politicians endorse Kılıçdaroğlu

Erdoğan losing Kurdish vote as Kurdish politicians endorse Kılıçdaroğlu

While Kurdish politicians up their rhetoric in favor of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, polls show strong support in three Kurdish-dominated provinces for the prime oppositional contender.

İstanbul grapples with housing crisis while thousands of homes remain vacant

İstanbul grapples with housing crisis while thousands of homes remain vacant

Despite the high demand for safe and affordable housing in İstanbul, an estimated 450,000 to 750,000 houses remain unoccupied.

From 'Kedi' to 'Konya': April 4 World Stray Animal Day

From 'Kedi' to 'Konya': April 4 World Stray Animal Day

Amidst the celebration of Stray Animal Day worldwide, what to do with Turkey's free-roaming animals remains a polarizing topic.

February 6 earthquakes reinvoke fears about İstanbul's potential 'big one'

February 6 earthquakes reinvoke fears about İstanbul's potential 'big one'

In the aftermath of the disastrous February 6 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, concerns are running high about the "big one," a devastating earthquake that could strike İstanbul at any time.

15 February 2023

'Our native land is Greece. Our land of citizenship is Türkiye'

'Our native land is Greece. Our land of citizenship is Türkiye'

This week precisely a century ago, on the same routes that refugees take today, 'history's greatest trek' took place, the forced population exchange between Greece and Türkiye.

3 February 2023

New policies for Türkiye's Roma population met with skepticism

New policies for Türkiye's Roma population met with skepticism

More than a decade after then-Prime Minister Erdoğan apologized for the state's past policies, the newly signed Roma Strategy for 2023-2030 and Action Plan for 2023-25 will likely not solve anything, organizations working with Roma people believe.

24 January 2023

Record number of small businesses went bankrupt in Türkiye in 2022

Record number of small businesses went bankrupt in Türkiye in 2022

Amid Türkiye's economic woes, small businesses are slowly disappearing from the country's streetscape.

28 December 2022

Three months after Putin's mobilization, some of his citizens find a new home in Türkiye

Three months after Putin's mobilization, some of his citizens find a new home in Türkiye

Fleeing the war, people from Russia try to normalize their life in İstanbul.

21 December 2022

Despite crackdowns and restrictions, illegal tobacco remains popular in Türkiye

Despite crackdowns and restrictions, illegal tobacco remains popular in Türkiye

With a recent amendment published in the Official Gazette, the unauthorized selling of tobacco can result in five years of imprisonment. Yet, illegal cigarettes remain a common sight in Türkiye's tobacco and liquor stores, as rampant inflation and tax surges make cigarettes increasingly expensive.

13 December 2022

Blamed by ruling alliance over high food prices, Türkiye's grocery chains face attacks, threats

Blamed by ruling alliance over high food prices, Türkiye's grocery chains face attacks, threats

Amid record-high inflation and increasing price hikes, supermarket chains are linked to a designated "terrorist" organization and blamed by Türkiye's ruling coalition. A store was vandalized in southern Türkiye.

8 December 2022

Dog's brutal killing in Konya shelter highlights Türkiye's stray animal issue

Dog's brutal killing in Konya shelter highlights Türkiye's stray animal issue

Two people have been detained in relation to the attack. President Erdoğan previously cited the shelter as a good example of caring stray animals.

25 November 2022

Türkiye's cradle of football and Greek nationalist ambitions

Türkiye's cradle of football and Greek nationalist ambitions

With the start of the contentious World Cup in Qatar, discussions about whether sports and politics should mix are again at the fore. Türkiye's cradle of football reveals that these two have always been mixed.

23 November 2022

Another suicide on İstanbul's Bosphorus Bridge: Statistics not disclosed in last two years

Another suicide on İstanbul's Bosphorus Bridge: Statistics not disclosed in last two years

Another suicide took place on the Bosphorus Bridge in İstanbul, while the latest suicide statistics date back to 2019.

17 November 2022

Keeping up with the Kobanî trial

Keeping up with the Kobanî trial

Over 100 HDP members are facing aggravated sentences in the case filed seven years after the deadly Kobanî protests in 2014. In the latest hearing, Demirtaş made his defense in Kurdish for the first time and two defendants were released on the condition of judicial control.

8 November 2022

TOGG: Is it really the 'people's car'?

TOGG: Is it really the 'people's car'?

Türkiye's first domestically produced electric car introduced on the Republic Day is an embodiment of its ruling party's recent trends of nationalism, high-prestige projects, state-business dependency, and continuing expansion efforts in the automotive manufacturing industry while simultaneously trying to boost Erdoğan's electoral prospects.

4 November 2022

Belgium's largest human trafficking case still troubles workers from Türkiye, other countries

Belgium's largest human trafficking case still troubles workers from Türkiye, other countries

More than 170 workers said they were victims of human trafficking by the chemical company Borealis, with 105 from Türkiye.

2 November 2022

Debate over restoration of Maiden's Tower: What is awaiting the iconic landmark of Bosphorus?

Debate over restoration of Maiden's Tower: What is awaiting the iconic landmark of Bosphorus?

Recent images showing a "disappeared" Maiden's Tower raised eyebrows, after many examples of restoration failures in recent years.

22 October 2022

Central Bank is following 'Erdoğan's path'

Central Bank is following 'Erdoğan's path'

The bank has cut the policy rate by 150 basis points and signaled that it may consider stopping interest rate cuts after next month's meeting.

21 October 2022

The absence of green politics in Türkiye's political arena

The absence of green politics in Türkiye's political arena

Türkiye is moving into its 100-year existence, with perhaps its most important elections in recent history. However, green politics remain seemingly absent from the agenda.

20 October 2022

Politics of Emergency

Politics of Emergency

Although Türkiye lifted its state of emergency almost four years ago, many of its laws and changes stayed. How can we explain this?

19 October 2022

Women’s position in Türkiye’s agriculture remains fragile despite booming exports

Women’s position in Türkiye’s agriculture remains fragile despite booming exports

Agriculture is the country's largest informal economy and the largest employment sector for women, including refugees. Besides long working hours, 95 percent of the women in the sector work informally, while simultaneously being responsible for domestic tasks.

18 October 2022

New regulations trouble Türkiye's informal recycling workers

New regulations trouble Türkiye's informal recycling workers

Türkiye has about 500,000 informal recycling workers who are responsible for around 80 percent of the recycling in the country. The government's attempts to regulate informal waste picking cause some new problems.