Mayoral certification crisis in Turkey sparks unprecedented dissent in ruling party
A mayoral certification crisis in Van province following the local elections sparked arguments among prominent figures within President Erdoğan’s AK Party. Presidential Advisor Mehmet Uçum defended the desertification process saying that it was a legal necessity, earning a harsh rebuttal by AKP MP Babuşçu. Following last Sunday’s local elections, opposition parties scored historic wins against […]
Van mayor-elect’s victory reinstated following controversial disqualification reversal
On Sunday’s local elections in Turkey, pro-Kurdish DEM Party candidate Abdullah Zeydan won mayorship in the eastern province of Van with 55.48% of the vote, besting second-place Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Abdulahat Arvas, who finished with 27.15%. Zeydan’s victory, however, was invalidated when it emerged that on March 29, two days before the election was […]
What happened in Turkey’s election and what is next?
The first round of Turkey’s presidential election has come and gone, and the country is now four days into an intense 14-day stretch of campaigning before the runoff round on May 28. In Sunday’s contest, incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan narrowly missed a first round victory with 49.25% of the vote. He was trailed by […]
Mass arrests in Turkey target Kurdish politicians, journalists, lawyers, and artists
Mass arrests this morning (April 25) in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakır were carried out by local police, targeting members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP). Diyarbakır is among the largest cities in southeastern Anatolia, and is known as a cultural capital for the region’s ethnic Kurdish minority. In the operations that targeted politicians, journalists, […]
Selahattin Demirtaş’s interview with Medyascope from Edirne Prison: “Change has begun in Turkey, now in order to build anew it is time for powers to come together”
Translated by Leo Kendrick Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned in Edirne for five years, answered Medyascope‘s questions through his lawyers. “Change has begun in Turkey. Both the HDP and the Kurds are the pioneers and parts of this change,” Demirtaş said, adding, “Everyone should abandon thinking and doing politics according […]
Winning hearts and minds of Kurds
Prepared by Deniz Söyke, Melissa Clissold and Elif Akbıyık
Iraqi Kurds seeking independence
Kurds: a key player in Syria’s future
Exclusive interview with Aaron Stein on the U.S. and Turkey interests in Northern Syria
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Authoritarianism and strong men in power: Interview with Gilbert Achcar
Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies and International Relations, at SOAS, University of London, speaks to Medyascope.Tv‘s Işın Eliçin on Donald Trump’s election, on the global rise of far-right, on the latest developments in Turkey and its aspirations to become a big brother for the region and its people, on Kurds, on Syria & Egypt […]
Press freedom and the Kurdish issue in Turkey with Fréderike Geerdink and Prof. Umut Ozkirimli
