After the murder of journalist Hrant Dink, the trials against him under Article 301 were dropped. However, other journalists from the Armenian newspaper Agos, Sarkis Seropyan, Arat Dink and Karin Karakasli are still on trial. Their next hearing is 14 June

An international conference on freedom of expression in Turkey and the EU, organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and hosted at Bilgi University in Istanbul, participants discussed threats to freedom of expression and compared the situation.

It is of vital importance that the general elections take place and that both the common independent candidates of the left and the independent candidates of the DTP are able to form a third pole in parliament.

After the e-warning of 27 April this year, the General Staff has again published a controversial article on its website. Again late at night, and this time the website called on the noble Turkish people to take part in a mass reflex against terror.

Local journalists in the three south-eastern provinces which have been declared temporary security zones (Siirt, Sirnak and Hakkari) have said that daily life is not much changed, but that a general increase in violence worries people.

Turkey has been convicted by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for ignoring court orders to stop the Eurogold mining company, and for the government to give the said company special permission to continue extracting.

Based on World Bank data, it is claimed that, worldwide, Turkey has privatised the most in the last four years. Representatives of the Turkish left have decried this development and said it results in poverty for the masses while a few enjoy the benefits.

A penal court in Adana, south of Turkey, has sentenced three members of the Adana branch of the Association for Human Rights (IHD) to imprisonment for criticising the Return to Life operations of December 2000.

On June 6th, a premature report of a big Turkish invasion of northern Iraq rocked markets. Certainly thousands of Turkish troops, backed by tanks and artillery, have massed for a possible offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraq.

Turkish General Staff has announced that the three south-eastern provinces of Siirt, Hakkari and Sirnak have been turned into temporary security zones from 9 June until 9 September, meaning that civilian entry into these provinces will be restricted.

In the general elections of this year, there will be 604 independent candidates standing, about 15 of them women. Political parties who cannot hope to overcome the 10 percent electoral hurdle are also fielding independent candidates.

Journalist Nevzat Onaran, imprisoned in Turkey for the publication and distribution of a brochure on freedom of expression, has been vindicated by the European Court of Human Rights. Turkey is to pay compensation.

In the light of the PKK attack in Tunceli and the ongoing military operations in the East and South-East of Turkey, there have been calls for an ending of violence in order to ensure democratic elections.

As all parties have now declared their candidate lists for the upcoming elections on 22 July, it has become clear that political parties have not made women candidates a priority. Ka-Der has called for a legally inscribed women´s quota.

Despite the attempts of groups of the left and the pro-Kurdish DTP to collaborate in choosing candidates in the major cities in Turkey which do not have a Kurdish majority, disagreements have emerged. The DTP has withdrawn support from several candidates

According to environmentalists Cangi, Atici and Sahin, the mainstream political parties are interested in profit rather than the right to live. The independent candidates of the left may be an opportunity for environmental groups to get their voices heard

The PKK attacked a gendarmerie station in Tunceli; seven soldiers were killed and seven more injured. One PKK militant was killed. According to the Gündem newspaper, the PKK has officially taken responsibility for the attack.

International Action Day, which is marked internationally on 5 June, is being taken as an opportunity to protest against Turkeys treatment of conscientious objectors. Turkey is being called on to accept the decision of the European Court of Human Rights.

The True Path Party and the Motherland Party had vowed to unite under the banner of the Democratic Party in order to ensure entry into parliament. The union has now failed.

The Proposal to Change the Law on Police Duties and Authorities has been passed by parliament. Presidential ratification is still needed. Parliament has adjourned until after the elections.