Voice of Silence: Now Speak the Armenians of Ankara

As a part of 2013 Oral History Project, a new book has been released today. In Istanbul, Hrant Dink Foundation organised a press meeting and introduced their recent book about the oral history of Armenians in Turkey. “Voice of Silence: Now Speak the Armenians of Ankara” is the title of the book.

Ferda Balancar, as the editor of the book, took the floor today and introduced it in the meeting. The book is published by the Foundation’s Press House and it is expected to contribute significantly to the oral history of Anatolian Armenians.

Note that the last of this series was about the Armenians of Diyarbakir. Tens of Armenians were interviewed for the book and it was appreciated by the historians and Armenian diaspora. This time, it is the turn of the Armenians from Ankara. Now they tell their story in the book.

Second Wave of Gezi Protests

Second wave of Gezi Protests started with violent clashes in Istanbul and Ankara. Large scale protests have been organised in metropolitan cities and the protestors want the Turkish Premier (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) to step down. As a result of corruption and bribery scandals, fierce against the Government has grown more and more.

Now the poliçe try to take the protestors under control with illegal means, which are not much different than those used in the Gezi Protests. Water cannons fed with reddish chemicals, tear gas and plastic bullets are often used by the police. Reportedly, the amount of tear gas and chemicals added into the water canons is far more than the one in Gezi Protests.

Mourning for Roboski (Uludere)

A huge number of people have mourned for Roboski (Uludere) all across Turkey. Today, it is the second anniversary of Roboski massacre. On 28 December 2011, 34 people were intentionally killed by bombing them. With the cooperation of Turkish Government and Turkish Armed Forces, 34 souls were consumed in the southeastern part of Turkey.

The Government has not made any clear statement about the massacre. “We received a false intelligence” was the only excuse. No concrete steps have been taken to find and punish those responsible for this massacre.
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Prison Sentence to the Opposition Party Leader

Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals has approved 8-year sentence for Sebahat Tuncel, the co-president of People’s Democratic Party. As a result of this decision, Sebahat Tuncel is sentenced to eight years and nine months prison in total.

The party that Sebahat Tuncel represents is pro-Kurdish. It is known that the decision is purely political. However, it is believed that prison sentence to this political leader will stab Turkish democratisation efforts.

Santa Claus Circumcised and Stabbed

A group of Anatolian Youth Society members protested Santa Claus and Christian customs. The protest took place in Istanbul. The extremist group brought a Santa Claus doll and they first circumcised the doll and then stabbed it until it was totally destroyed. The extremists believe and say that God ordered them to do so.

The number such protests keeps an increasing trend in Turkey. Non-muslim minorities, particularly the Christians, feel uneasy due to intolerant messages given in the protests.

Turkish Premier’s Son in Corruption Scandal

Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has given detention order for Bilal Erdoğan, the son of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkish Premier). Bilal Erdoğan has been called by the Office to get his statement as a suspect. However, Turkish police forces seem to be reluctant to take him to the police station. With the recent changes and resignations, the police force is criticised for not doing its primary duty to serve judiciary.

Resignations and Changes Continue

Following the first wave of resignation, the Minister of Environment and Urbanisation resigned from his post. After his resignation, the former Minister of Interior, İdris Naim Şahin, resigned from the party. This waves of resignation have created unrest in the country and it has affected the economy negatively. In parallel to these resignations, a number of senior officers have been forced from their positions. Almost 135 chief officers have been removed. The number of officers holding minor positions increased up to 400.

The recent move of the Government has increased the tension because Muammer Akkaş, the Public Prosecutor (in charge of the corruption and bribery issue), has been forced from his position.

In parallel to these changes, several amendments have been introduced to the regulations. Now, the judiciary has problems with the police forces, as the police insist on not doing what is requested by the judges and prosecuters. For this reason, several operations have been suspended.

Moreover, journalists and judicial authorities are not allowed to the police stations. It is believed that the principle of separation of powers is at risk.

Hate-speech on Christmas Eve

At the Christmas night on the 24th of December, an interesting message was written on one of the electronic billboards of a mosque in Kadikoy Port, Istanbul. The billboard of the mosque did not give a positive or embracing message. It targeted the Christians and Jews by giving a reference to the Qoran, Muslim’s holy book. The text barrowed from the Qoran says that “O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are in fact allies of one another.”

No clear explanation has been received from the Mosque or the Administration of Religious Affairs about the purpose of this text, yet.

Two Key Ministers Resign

Today, in the early morning time, two key ministers in the Turkish Government have resigned from their positions. They have declared their resignation officially.
Zafer Çağlayan, the Minister of Economy, and Muammer Güler, the Minister of Interior, said that the story about corruption and bribery is a dirty operation. The resignations have been welcomed by the opposition parties and the non-governmental organisations. Now, it is expected the other ministers (who are belived to have involved in this operation) to resign soon.

No Santa Claus, Yes “Dede Korkut”

The local chief of Sirinevler Quarter in Istanbul gave an interesting message for the Christmas. On the canvas hanged by the chief, it reads that “Santa Claus, who has nothing to do with our customs and culture, will not come to Sirinevler this year, either! Instead, Dede Korkut (a hero in old Turkic legends) will come.”

According to message, Dede Korkut will teach kids that they came down to Earth to deliver justice. It is clear from this message that the local authorities are not happy with the decorations which are not inherent in Muslim culture. This message also reminded of the statement made by the Mufti of Keshan District last year.

The mufti of Keshan said that “Santa Claus is entering through chimneys or windows. If he were a good man, he would enter through the door.”