NEWS - Bianet

NEWS

Page 334

Name of Domestic Violence: Husband Beating

Prof. Dr. Kocacik, head of the General Sociology in the Cumhuriyet University, said 46.5 percent of women are faced with violence. Beating, threat, and cursing are most frequent forms of domestic violence.

20 January 2006

Child Centers Against Sexual Exploitation

Applications centers will be set up in 10 provinces with the aim of ending the silence on sexual exploitation and to provide support for victimized children. A Child Sexual Exploitation hotline will also be available.

26 December 2005

Censorships New Trend Influencing Judgment

Journalists Sucu, Selcuk, Yildiz, and Tasci from Cumhuriyet are standing trial for reports on the Kiziltepe incident. 5 writers will stand trial in 2006 for criticizing the suspension of the Armenian Conference.

24 December 2005 Erol Önderoğlu

If Religion Is The Cement The Structure Falls

Suciyan argues that it is high time that Turkey cleanse the constitution of all ethnic descriptions and concepts of minority and majority, and adopt the guidelines of democratic, constitutional citizenship. Yet the PM still seeks a solution in Islam.

19 December 2005 Talin Suciyan

Pamuks Trial Adjourned Amid Nationalist Boos

The Sisli District Court judge adjourned the trial of Turkish novelist Pamuk until February 7, 2006. Nationalist groups accusing Pamuk with treason booed the novelist and threw eggs on him and supporters during their entry into and exit from the court.

16 December 2005

Writers Lament States Assault on Free Speech

They dont put people in prison any more. But they bring all these cases to terrorise us and produce self-censorship. Look at the Pamuk case. The message is, if they can put Orhan Pamuk on trial, I should steer clear of this stuff says Mater of BIA

16 December 2005 Ian Traynor

Reporter Duru Remains in Jail After 4 Months

Journalist Birol Duru of the pro-Kurdish news agency DIHA remains in jail since his arrest four months ago. He was arrested in the village of Dinarbey in southeastern Turkey in August, and charged with possessing a videotape of the Kurdish guerrilla PKK.

14 December 2005

Retrial for Kurdish Greeting

The Supreme Court of Appeals orders retrial for Handan Caglayan based on the new penal code. She had been sentenced to seven months in prison and fined 513 YTL for saying My Dear Sisters in Kurdish in a speech during the 2004 local election campaign.

14 December 2005 Ayşe Durukan

Sharp Reaction Against Attempts to Ban Liquor

There is no alcohol ban, said Interior Minister Aksu. Lawyer Vuraldogan from the Ankara Bar Association, who is preparing to take legal action, and bar owners Keskiner and Ersuren, argue the practice constitutes a limitation of rights.

13 December 2005 Emine Özcan

Repealing Article 301 Calls AI

Amnesty international in a public statement expresses extreme concern for increased number of writers journalists and novelists who are prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. The article is generally used against critics of the state.

13 December 2005

Release Conscientieous Objector Call MEPs

In an open letter to the Turkish president and prime minister, a group of European Parliament deputies call for the release of conscientious objector Tarhan, who has been sentenced to four years under charges of insubordination in front of the unit.

8 December 2005

Turkey Must Halt Trying Writers PEN Calls

In a public stetement issued after editor Fatih Tass adjourned trial for publishing a Turkish translation of American academic John Tirmans book International PEN expressed concern for growing number of trials against journalists and writers.

8 December 2005

Situation in Southeast Still Tense

Mazlumders Bilgen thinks that the officials use the demonstrations to cover up the Semdinli bombings, reporter Selek conveys the peoples demand for a civilian investigation commission and according to columnist Magden the state of emergency continuıes

30 November 2005 Tolga Korkut

Izmir Seminer on Reporting on Womens Issues

53 reporters and NGO representatives participated in the training program on womens representation, reporting on womens rights violations, womens rights, and national and international regulations. Lively debates took place on violence against women.

28 November 2005 Kemal Özmen

Court Upholds Prison Sentence for Journalist

Following two local judgements, the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld a suspended 20-month prison sentence handed to writer Bekdil who wrote The probability for an ordinary Turk to receive a fair trial is one in a million, is going to the ECHR.

19 November 2005 Erol Önderoğlu

EU Adopts Enlargement Strategy for Turkey...

EU Commission adopts an overall enlargement strategy for the candidate countries Croatia and Turkey, and for the potential candidate countries in the Western Balkans. The principles are: Consolidation, conditionality and communication Oli Rehn says.

9 November 2005

Intellectuals Denounce Dinks Punishment

Intellectuals from Turkey and overseas join to denounce journalist Dinks sentencing of a suspended six months for belittling Turkish identity. This is a threat against the exercise of the freedom of expression and thought they say.

25 October 2005

Call for a Decision on the Minorities Report

After nine months, the Ankara Head Prosecutors inquiry into the controversial Minorities Report remains uncompleted. Professor Baskin Oran, one of the reports authors, calls for the prosecutor to make charges or drop the inquiry.

21 October 2005 Adnan Keskin

Accepting the Past Will Set Us Free

Talin Suciyan reflects on the groundbreaking Armenian conference and the liberating effect that the open discussion of this history will have for Turkey and for the Armenian diaspora.

10 October 2005 Talin Suciyan

AI: Refugee Deported to Syria Suffers Torture

Amnesty International-Turkey revealed that Syrian refugee Ahmet Muhammed İbrahim, who was deported from Turkey in March, has been tortured. AI charges that Turkey had violated international agreemnents and disregarded refugee rights.

30 September 2005

Court Halts Armenian History Conference

Yesterday the Fourth Administrative Court decided to halt a conference on Ottoman Armenians that was to be held at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul this weekend. Prime Minister Erdoğan said it is impossible to approve of this decision.

23 September 2005

Two Reporters Jailed in Southeast Nusaybin

Cengiz Dogan, the editor-in-chief of the Mavi and Kent newspapers in Nusaybin, was arrested and sent to the Mardin E-type prison for publishing PKK statements. The general manager of the newspapers had been arrested two weeks ago.

21 September 2005 Erol Önderoğlu

Wage Workers Divided on Turkeys EU Bid

Study results reveal: in İstanbul,44 percent of laborers hold positive views of the EU and 41.1 percent hold negative views. Among both groups, doubt that Turkey will be accepted into the EU is high.

20 September 2005

Istanbul Hosts EPA Meeting

European Preparatory Assembly (EPA) of the European Social Forum convenes in Istanbul on Wednesday. Trade unionists, anti-war activists, womens organizations, environmentalists, and more than 100 NGO representatives from Turkey and overseas will meet.

20 September 2005

No Relief Before Cyprus Problem is Solved

EU accession process expert Aktar emphasizes that its not the first time the EU is pressuring Turkey. Nobody is calling for a delay in negotiations despite the anti-Turkey sentiment in Europe, said Aktar.

7 September 2005 Kemal Özmen

Ceasefire Positive but Short

Representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations said Kongra-Gels decision to halt violence for a month is a positive step toward peace. But the brief time period is creating concerns.

Turkish Scholar Freed After Two-Month Arrest

Yektan Turkyilmaz, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish origin and an academic from the Duke University in the US, is freed after two months in an Armenian prison.

19 August 2005 Emil Danıelyan,Ruzanna Khachatrıan

The Army Demands Unlimited Authority...

Reacting agains the army Chief of Staff General Hilmi Ozkoks complaints that recent anti-terror legislation curbs them of authority, human rights activist Yavuz Onen of TIHV warns:The army is already granted abundant power. Our rights are in danger.

19 August 2005 Tolga Korkut

Journalists Concerned of Increased Harassment

Arrest of one Kurdish journalist and a human rights activist for allegedly having footage of outlawed PKK militants raises concerns for renewed harassment of dissidents. Domestic journalist associations and Reporters Without Borders denounce the arrest.

Democracy May Solve The Kurdish Question

A group of 12 intellectuals met Prime Minister Erdogan on Wednesday to urge for a solution to the Kurdish question. Spokesperson Gursay also urged the guerrilla PKK to halt armed fighting and give peace a chance.

Conscientious Objector Should Be Released

Erkan Ersoz and Ersan Ugur Gor, two conscientious objectors from Turkeys War Resisters Association, urge for the acquittal of arrested objector Mehmet Tarhan, whose request for release was denied during todays hearing.

4 August 2005 Erkan Ersöz,Ersan Uğur Gör

Being Journalist Friendly vs. Being E.T.

Journalism is a peculiar, subjective, local and original activity. The use of language as a means of conveying thought, as well as the original aspects of cultural and social concepts, tend to narrow the limits of journalistic training abroad.

29 July 2005 Ragıp Duran