“Men Against the Abortion Ban” marched across Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district on Sunday to express the reasons why they oppose the controversial proposal by government officials to ban abortion.

Law enforcement officials arrested Bekir Kaya, the mayor of the eastern province of Van, and nine other members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) as part of the probe into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK,) as hundreds gathered before the courthouse to protest the decision.

Officials from the United Nations Population Fund stress that the causes lying behind abortion cannot be resolved through legal prohibition or moral denunciation and call instead for greater access to birth control methods, introducing courses on sexual health in schools and strengthening the status of women.

The new Human Rights Institution Draft Law leaves the business of monitoring human rights violations committed by the state to another structure that is also under the control of the state and the government, according to Ertuğrul Kürkçü, the Mersin deputy of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP.)

Fears that authorities will turn the Ali Kuşçu Primary School in Istanbul into a theological Imam Hatip High School have sparked protests by students and their parents who held a demonstration before the Istanbul Education Directorate today.

Law enforcement officials took Bekir Kaya, the mayor of the southeastern province of Van, and five other district mayors under custody today, as well as 10 members of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) as part of the probe into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK.)

A court sentenced university students Ferhat Tüzer and Berna Yılmaz to eight years and five months in prison on terrorism related charges due to a banner they unfurled during a speech by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while Utku Aykar, another university student, also received two years and two months of imprisonment.

Journalists attested for their imprisoned colleagues Çağdaş Kaplan, Mustafa Balbay, Naciye Yavuz, Ömer Faruk Çalışkan and Sultan Şaman as part of the “Witness Days” initiated by the Freedom for Journalists Platform (GÖP.)

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sentenced Turkey to pay a fine in the amount of 17,500 euros on the charge of violating the rights of freedom and security in the case of four specialists sergeants who were placed under chamber arrest.

The recent comments delivered by the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate against abortion are not binding for anyone and carry no relevance in a secular country, according to political scientist and legal expert Prof. Levent Köker.

The report entitled “Human Rights Defenders: Guilty Until Proven Innocent” prepared by the International Human Rights Federation (FDIH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) received its first promotion in Turkey on Tuesday at the general headquarters of the Human Rights Association (IHD.)

A new draft law paves the way for the construction of nuclear facilities on Turkey’s shores, just as it makes small religious facilities mandatory in a host of public spaces, including theaters, malls and large housing estates.

Earlier in the week, the website Bianet jumped into a campaign - called "Benim Kararım," or "my decision." The campaign called for women to assert their rights and for men to show solidarity by getting people to send in pictures of themselves either holding signs or writing on their bodies.

Political scientist, academic and columnist Koray Çalışkan sharply criticized Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate for deceiving the public on the controversial issue of abortion and getting involved in a political debate over which it holds no authority.

Women called on authorities to ease access to birth control methods rather than banning abortion and for the perpetrators of the Roboski massacre to be put to trial during a protest rally in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district on Sunday.

Residents in the Dikmen Valley and members of the Council on the Right to Shelter, a local activist group, poured out onto the streets in Ankara yesterday to protest the new “Natural Disaster Law.”

bianet's men and women are now starting off a campaign in order to open a space for everyone to react easily and openly. Anyone who says "This Is My Decision" can join by writing whichever sentence they wish to write, in whichever language they prefer, on either a piece of paper or your belly and taking a photo.

THY employees began a continious action until the draft law that banned airline strikes is withdrawn and the threat of dismissal ends.

Members of KESK marched at Taksim against the 4% pay rise of the government.

6.000 new portable batons are ordered. They are ‘easy to carry and use’ and just 20 cm when folded.