According to the trade union LIMTER-IS, two more shipyard workers have died, raising the death toll since the beginning of the year to six.

Several countries, including Turkey, have recognised Kosovo’s independence. Those opposing the move fear that it will set a precedence for other regions.

The Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV) has published its annual report, in which it says that 452 people applied to its centres with claims of torture and maltreatment.

For the last three days, it has been snowing in Istanbul. Although the snow has brought chaos to the city, it has also added beauty.

After 49 years in power, Fidel Castro has decided to step down from presidential office in Cuba. A newly-elected parliament will vote for a new president in March.

Amnesty International has started an urgent action call for lawyer Orhan Kemal Cengiz, joint attorney in the Malatya murder trial; the NGO says it fears for his life.

Before the fourth hearing of the Hrant Dink murder trial on 25 February, there is stil evidence of lack of transparency as the co-plaintiffs are not informed of procedures.

More than a hundred academics, lawyers and human rights activists have signed a letter to President Gül calling for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue, which, they say, needs a political approach, and not court rooms.

Journalist Aktas was sent to prison for “insulting” the former vice governor of Mus in the press; however, a court has overruled the sentence.

Following a mission in Turkey on the occasion of the third hearing of the Hrant Dink murder trial, the FIDH published a report on 13 February, calling for action on human rights.

On Friday a shipyard worker in Tuzla was injured, and another died on Saturday. Trade union and association members have been dismissed.

The Kosovan parliament has made a unilateral declaration of its independence from Serbia. The EU and the USA support independence, while Serbia and Russia oppose it.