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Photos: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu/Twitter, AA
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Within two weeks, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), made two moves that took the government by surprise.
First, he went in front of the headquarters of SADAT, a private military contractor with close links to the government, to label it as a paramilitary group to threaten election security.
The unexpected visit forced the government circles to publicly discuss what is rather a shady company for the first time. Also, several company officials gave exclusive interviews to the media to refute the CHP leader's claims.
Kılıçdaroğlu's second move targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan directly.
Releasing a video on his Twitter account on Tuesday, he claimed to reveal Erdoğan's plan to flee Turkey in case he loses the next elections, which is a done deal according to the opposition.
Revealing millions of dollars of donations from two educational foundations in Turkey to one in the US, Kılıçdaroğlu claimed this money was directly controlled by the Erdoğan family.
The reason they plan to flee to the US rather than an autocratic country that Erdoğan has good relations with, like Qatar, is to take advantage of the rule of law in the US whereas Qatar would send them back immediately, according to the CHP leader.
These claims also caused the activities of those foundations to be publicly discussed in pro-government circles as transferring so much money amid a deep economic crisis to a foundation that provides services to only 50 students, according to its website, needed an explanation.
Both of Kılıçdaroğlu's claims were nothing new as rumors about government-backed paramilitary activities and Erdoğan's plans in case of an election defeat have been there for years.
And neither claim seems plausible. SADAT says on its website that it gives "irregular warfare" training, and it has been accused of training pro-Turkey armed groups in Syria and organizing illicit trade between Syria and Turkey, but there has been no proof that it has been carrying out "paramilitary activities" in Turkey.
Also, in their recent statements to the media, company officials denied having armed troops like the likes of Russia's Wagner. They rather emphasized the company's role as a broker for Turkey's arms sales, especially to Muslim countries.
Moreover, it would be overkill to deploy armed groups specialized in irregular warfare to do activities like intimidate opposition parties' polling staff.
Yet, it was appropriate to express concerns about the election security, especially after the new election law that changes the rules as to how election councils are formed and allows council members to resign — or to be forced to resign.
Claiming that Erdoğan would flee to the US "to take advantage of the rule of law" also seems far-fetched and logically problematic. If Turkey is to become a state of law after the opposition comes to power, the US should have no problems with extraditing someone who is found guilty.
What Kılıçdaroğlu did might be to deploy a new political communication strategy to make the public question the competitive authoritarian nature of the regime, as well as the reason for the money transfers amid the economic crisis, said Prof. Gülgün Erdoğan-Tosun, in an interview with bianet.
An important pillar of Turkey's competitive authoritarian system is to "establish the perception that we will win the elections in any event," she said.
"Kılıçdaroğlu's statement of an escape plan replaced this perception with another one that 'They won't be able to win the elections. This is why they are making preparations.'
"That's why there were so many reactions from the ruling circle. Because the government's strategy of managing the perception took a major blow."
In response to Kılıçdaroğlu's claims, Erdoğan recalled the 2016 coup attempt where he didn't run away but defied the putschists, and the hanging of PM Adnan Menderes, a conservative politician whom he relates to, following the 1960 coup d'état.
Speaking at an event to condemn the coup on its 62nd anniversary on Friday (May 27), Erdoğan showed a newspaper clipping that Menderes was nabbed while he was trying to flee the country with 12 planes full of money and gold. "Is this different from what Mr. Kemal said the other night?" he asked.
Read more:
● SADAT: Kılıçdaroğlu presses government while company denies 'paramilitarism' allegations
● Kılıçdaroğlu warns bureaucrats not to follow 'illegal orders'
● Mob boss Peker's confessions put military contractor close to Erdoğan in spotlight
A possible new offensive into northern Syria
It was clear to the governments of the Western countries from the moment Erdoğan voiced opposition to the NATO memberships of Sweden and Finland that he was probably after getting something out of it using the veto card.
What Erdoğan seeks may be a new military offensive in the Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria's north, as he signaled on Tuesday.
"We will soon take new steps to complete the project we started, to have secure territories of 30 km in depth along our southern borders," he said after a cabinet meeting.
In October-November 2019, Turkey carried out its third major military offensive into Syria to implement the "project" that Erdoğan mentioned. But the offensive was cut short after then-US President Donald Trump urged Erdoğan "not to be a fool" and threatened "destroying" Turkey's economy if he continued the operation.
However, despite Erdoğan's remarks that the National Security Council would share the details about the planned operation, the council made no direct mention of such an offensive after its meeting on Thursday.
In an interview with bianet, Assoc. Prof. Zafer Yörük, a political scientist, outlined several scenarios about Erdoğan's possible intentions and what would happen next:
● Erdoğan may try to regain the prestige he has lost recently with a new military operation.
● He may use the offensive to regain the popular support he has lost ahead of the elections.
● Maybe he has no plans at all to carry out a new military offensive but is trying to compel the US to approve the sale of new F-16s to Turkey.
● The US may be planning to secure energy lines in Syria and Iraq, where Turkey has been conducting a military offensive for over a month against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), to find alternative energy sources for Europe other than Russia, and may give the green light to Turkey to clear some areas from the Kurdish groups.
● The US may be playing a "Saddam game" against Erdoğan, to lure him into a new incursion and then turn against him, like it did after the invasion of Kuwait.
Gezi Park protests on the 9th anniversary Nine years ago today, a couple of hundreds of people stood up against the police and earth movers to prevent the demolition of Gezi Park for the reconstruction of an Ottoman-era artillery barracks. Within a few days, protests spread all across the country with millions people taking to the streets against the Erdoğan government. Here is a timeline of the events in June 2013.
Women&LGBTI+
Sexual harassment by prison officers, working for long hours for low salaries, lacking access to sanitary pads... "We receive many applications from women prisoners about sexual harassment during body searches. While they have been transferred from one prison to another, or during the referrals to hospitals, the prison staff who accompany them are men," says Özge Akyüz of the Civil Society in Penal System Association.
"We are not aggrieved, we are righteous" CHP İstanbul Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu spoke to bianet about women and politics at the premiere of a documentary about Turkey's first women lawmakers
Police prevent Boğaziçi Pride March, detain dozens The school administration banned all events but a music festival on the day that the pride march would take place.
Actress Ezgi Mola fined for "insulting" ex-soldier who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman "I'm not surprised. I hope we will see the days when we will be surprised," she said after the hearing.
Ministry's panic button app now available in Kurdish The application was previously available in Turkish, Arabic, Persian, English, Russian and French. The newly added languages are German, Spanish, Kurdish, and Uzbek and Kyrgyz languages.
Concert bans continue "to protect public safety, morality" Since the start of May, two youth music festivals and several concerts of Kurdish and dissident musicians, as well as of famous Armenian violanist Ara Malikian, have been banned. Among the reasons cited for the bans were the "protection of "public security, public morality, national security, the fundamental principles of the republic and the indivisible integrity of the state and the nation." Having two of her concerts banned, Aynur Doğan, a renowned musician, gave a concert to a large audience as part of İstanbul's traditional Harbiye Open Air Concerts on Saturday. (Photo: T24) (Photo: T24)
Migration
Turkey's Atheism Association is helping atheist refugees, who face "double oppression" "They are both displaced from their homeland and are subjected to discrimination and threats within their communities because they are atheists. For example, a Syrian atheist is under serious threat in terms of mental health and life safety within their refugee community," says the head of the association.
Over 18,000 people from 94 countries are waiting at Turkey's removal centers to be deported Amid pressing demands from the opposition for the repatriation of refugees and increasing anti-refugee sentiment in the public, the Ministry of Interior has released figures about migration.
Turkey once again Europe's top waste importer In 2021, EU countries "exported" 33 million tons of waste to non-EU countries, according to Eurostat. Turkey received almost half of that waste. The recycling companies that import plastic waste have not kept their promise to clean 18 dump sites in Adana, western Turkey. "The smell of orange blossoms is now replaced with the smell of smoke and garbage in Adana," says Çiğdem Özkan of Greenpeace Mediterranean.
Human rights
What can hatred be washed off with? In the fourth episode of the podcast and article series by bianet and Hafıza Merkezi Berlin (HMB) entitled "In Good Times and Bad: Living Together," Rober Koptaş wrote about hatred and being an Armenian in Turkey
Sentence for police officer's killing of child "cannot be reduced due to unjust provocation," top court rules Nihat Kazanhan, 12, was shot dead by the police in the Kurdish-majority province of Şırnak in 2015. The officer who shot him was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court then reduced the sentence to 16 years in prison due to "unjust provocation" and then 13 years in prison due to "good conduct." The Constitutional Court overturned the verdict.
A protester who was "beaten by the police without detention" will be paid compensation The Constitutional Court has given its ruling about the individual application of a woman who was battered by the police during an 2015 demonstration demanding "secular and scientific education in mother tongue."
Freedom of expression
AKP, MHP propose amendment to Press Law introducing prison sentences for 'disinformation' Those who disseminate false information about the "internal and external security of the country, public order and public health" will face up to three years in prison, according to the bill proposed ahead of neaxy year's elections. Journalism groups called for the withdrawal of the bil that would "aggravate censorship."
Media authority to penalize TV outlets for airing the main opposition leader's statement CHP's Kılıçdaroğlu claimed in a Twitter video that President Erdoğan is planning to flee the country if he loses the next elections. Three TV channels are facing monetary penalties for just broadcasting his statements.
Environment
Sea turns orange in İzmir People fishing on the shoreline said the sea has been orange since a few days ago when temperatures rose. Some of them complained that their fishing lines were covered with a sticky and black substance. "Nature is ringing the alarm bells with crimson water during the day and the luminescent glow at night," says hydrobiologist Levent Artüz.
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