DOCSLIB.ORG

The Unspoken Truth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Unspoken Truth THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: DISAPPEARANCES ENFORCED One of the foremost obstacles As the Truth Justice Memory Center, we aim to, in the path of Turkey’s process ■ Carry out documentation work of democratization is the fact regarding human rights violations that have taken place in the past, to publish THE UNSPOKEN that systematic and widespread and disseminate the data obtained, and to demand the acknowledgement human rights violations are of these violations; not held to account, and ■ Form archives and databases for the use of various sections of society; victims of unjust treatments TRUTH: ■ Follow court cases where crimes are not acknowledged and against humanity are brought to trial and to carry out analyses and develop compensated. Truth Justice proposals to end the impunity of public officials; Memory Center contributes ■ Contribute to society learning ENFORCED to the construction of a the truths about systematic and widespread human rights violations, democratic, just and peaceful and their reasons and outcomes; and to the adoption of a “Never present day society by Again” attitude, by establishing a link between these violations and the supporting the exposure of present day; DISAPPEAR- systematic and widespread ■ Support the work of civil society organizations that continue to work human rights violations on human rights violations that have taken place in the past, and reinforce that took place in the past the communication and collaboration between these organizations; with documentary evidence, ANCES ■ Share experiences formed in the reinforcement of social different parts of the world regarding transitional justice mechanisms, and ÖZGÜR SEVGİ GÖRAL memory, and the improvement initiate debates on Turkey’s transition period. AYHAN IŞIK of access to justice for those ÖZLEM KAYA who were subjected to these violations. TRUTH JUSTICE MEMORY CENTER THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES TRUTH JUSTICE MEMORY CENTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Tütün Deposu Lüleci Hendek Caddesi 12 It would not have been possible to realize this study without the Tophane 34425 İstanbul/Türkiye relatives of the disappeared, the human rights defenders and lawyers +90 212 243 32 27 who agreed to meet and carry out interviews with us. We would like [email protected] to express our heartfelt gratitude to all relatives of the disappeared in www.hakikatadalethafiza.org Cizre, İdil, Silopi, Istanbul and Diyarbakır who agreed to meet and share their stories with us; to the Association of Solidarity and Assistance for the Families of Missing Persons (YAKAY-DER) and the Mesopotamia AUTHORS Solidarity with the Relatives of the Disappeared Association (MEYA- Özgür Sevgi Göral DER); and to Welat Demir, Veysel Vesek, Rıdvan Dalmış, Nurşirevan Ayhan Işık Elçi, Rüya Elçi, Yusuf Uygar, Ferhat Kabaiş, Ferhan Kaplan, Veysi Altay, Özlem Kaya the BDP Cizre Provincial Director and administrators, the BDP Silopi Provincial Director and administrators, Seven Kaptan, Cihan Sarıyıldız, The subsection titled The Search of part B titled Abdülbasri Ekici, Ahmet Zıröğ, Naci Kültür, Zerrin Oğlağu, Sait Fındık, Experiences of Relatives of the Disappeared of Tahir Elçi, Reyhan Yalçındağ, Eren Keskin, Meltem Ahıska, Hüsnü Öndül, section VI titled Findings of the Field Study was Altan Tan, Meral Danış Beştaş, Mesut Beştaş and Emma Sinclair Webb written by Özlem Kaya, the subsection titled who made this study possible with the support they gave us in Istanbul, The Absence of a Grave was written by Ayhan Işık. Diyarbakır and Cizre. The remainder of the report was written by Özgür Sevgi Göral. EDITORS Meltem Aslan Murat Çelikkan Gamze Hızlı TRANSLATION Nazım Dikbaş PROOFREADING Meltem Aslan Kiah Shapiro DESIGN Pınar Akkurt, BEK PRE-PRESS BEK PRINTING Mas Matbaacılık San. ve Tic. A.Ş. Hamidiye Mahallesi Soğuksu Caddesi 3 Kağıthane 34408 İstanbul T +90 212 294 10 00 http://www.masmat.com.tr/ Certificate No: 12055 A PUBLICATION OF TRUTH JUSTICE MEMORY CENTER ISBN: 978-605-85978-2-2 Truth Justice Memory Center would like to thank the Open Society Foundation, Anadolu Kültür, Global Dialogue, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Oak Foundation, Huridocs, MAS Matbaacılık A.Ş., BEK, Bülent Erkmen and Yiğit Ekmekçi for their financial and in-kind contributions for the publication of this report and the realization of the research that formed the basis of this report. THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES ÖZGÜR SEVGİ GÖRAL AYHAN IŞIK ÖZLEM KAYA TRUTH JUSTICE MEMORY CENTER “It is true that totalitarian domination tried to establish these holes of oblivion into which all deeds, good and evil, would disappear, but just as the Nazis’ feverish attempts, from June, 1942, on, to erase all traces of the massacres - through cremation, through burning in open pits, through the use of explosives and flame-throwers and bone-crushing machinery - were doomed to failure, so all efforts to let their opponents “disappear in silent anonymity” were in vain. The holes of oblivion do not exist. Nothing human is that perfect, and there are simply too many people in the world to make oblivion possible. One man will always be left alive to tell the story. Hence, nothing can ever be “practically useless,” at least, not in the long run. (...) For the lesson of such stories is simple and within everybody’s grasp. Politically speaking, it is that under conditions of terror most people will comply but some people will not, just as the lesson of the countries to which the Final Solution was proposed is that “it could happen” in most places but it did not happen everywhere. Humanly speaking, no more is required, and no more can reasonably be asked, for this planet to remain a place fit for human habitation.” Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, p.109 INDEX 8 INTRODUCTION 10 I. ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE: DEFINITION AND INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK 14 II. BACKGROUND 23 III. ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN TURKEY: A GENERAL OVERVIEW 26 IV. RESEARCH TOPIC AND METHODOLOGY 29 V. A FEW NOTES ON THE SPACE 34 VI. FINDINGS OF THE FIELD STUDY A) The State’s Repertoire Related to Enforced Disappearances 1) Denial 2) Threaths 3) Criminalization 4) Establishment of Institutional Collaboration B) Experiences of Relatives of the Disappeared 1) The State 2) The Search – Özlem Kaya 3) Justice 4) Citizenship 5) Politics 6) The Absence of a Grave – Ayhan Işık 77 VII. EPILOGUE: “HE WAS SO SPECIAL, HE WAS SUCH A PERFECT PERSON” 80 VIII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY 88 BIOGRAPHIES 90 LIST OF THE DISAPPEARED VERIFIED BY TRUTH JUSTICE MEMORY CENTER 106 ŞIRNAK PROVINCIAL MAP INTRODUCTION 8 THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES Truth Justice Memory Center [Hakikat Adalet Hafiza Merkezi] was established in order to bring to light the human rights violations that have occurred during periods of conflict and authoritarian rule, and from the perspective of transitional justice, to contribute to a redressal of these violations. In order to redress the past, we believe that systemic and systematic human rights violations must be documented according to international standards. Suppressed alternative narratives in the areas where these violations have taken place must be gathered and transmitted to various parts of society, and groups that have suffered these violations must be assured access to justice. A redressal of the past can only take place when human rights violations are brought to light, when the perpetrators are tried, and when the damage caused by such violations are compensated for through restorative justice mechanisms. Within the scope of this approach, we decided to begin with a concrete type of human rights violation. In this way we identified enforced disappearances as our field of study. In the work we carried out with the Documentation, Law and Outreach groups, we met with and interviewed relatives of the disappeared, lawyers, representatives of civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and members of bar associations. We sought to understand the emergence of, and the forms in which, the mechanisms and patterns of the phenomena of enforced disappearance occur. Another equally important aspect of our study was the effort to comprehend the experiences of the relatives of the disappeared. The processes undergone and the experiences lived by these relatives is the most fundamental issue this report attempts to address. One of the most basic requirements for a redressal of the past and a restoration of justice is the reconstruction of social memory that contains all systemic human rights violations. Therefore, the work towards documentation and the formation of an archive must also be seen as an effort to enter into circulation the narratives of relatives of the disappeared whose voices have not been heard for a long time, which has lead to the expansion of their pain, and to disseminate these narratives to broader social spheres. This report is an effort to grasp the legal, political, and social mechanisms through which the strategy of enforced disappearance is implemented. The report also tackles the mechanisms and practices through which society’s silence and indifference towards this continuing issue have been formed. Yet another significant focus of the report is the process and experiences the relatives of the disappeared go through before and after the enforced disappearance, and the meaning they attribute to them. The experiences of the relatives of the disappeared within the scope of the strategy of enforced disappearance also tell us important things about the state, justice, and citizenship in Turkey. This report was written in order to aid in the broad dissemination of this information into society. It is our sincere wish that it succeeds in doing so. INTRODUCTION 9 I. ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE: DEFINITION AND INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK 10 THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES The crime known by the terms enforced the authorization, support or acquiescence of disappearance or enforced or involuntary the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge disappearance in international literature, is the deprivation of liberty or by the concealment generally referred to in Turkey as ‘kayıp’ (lit.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Turkey and the Failed Coup One Year Later | the Washington Institute
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 2835 Turkey and the Failed Coup One Year Later by Omer Taspinar, Soner Cagaptay, James Jeffrey Jul 20, 2017 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Omer Taspinar Omer Taspinar is a professor of national security strategy at the National War College, focusing on the political economy of Europe, the Middle East, and Turkey. Soner Cagaptay Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute. James Jeffrey Ambassador is a former U.S. special representative for Syria engagement and former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Iraq; from 2013-2018 he was the Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute. He currently chairs the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program. Brief Analysis Watch three expert observers examine a divided Turkey one year after the failed military coup of 2016. On July 13, Omer Taspinar, Soner Cagaptay, and James F. Jeffrey addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Taspinar is a professor at the National War College and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Cagaptay is the Beyer Family Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at the Institute. Jeffrey is the Institute's Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow and a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey. The following is a rapporteur's summary of their remarks. OMER TASPINAR W hile the authoritarian trend in Turkish politics is well documented in Washington circles, Fethullah Gulen is still very enigmatic for most Americans (despite his longtime exile in Pennsylvania). Some background on the Gulen movement's marriage of convenience with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), therefore, provides important context.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey's Kurdish Opening
    Reconciling Statism with Freedom Turkey’s Kurdish Opening Halil M. Karaveli SILK ROAD PAPER October 2010 Reconciling Statism with Freedom Turkey’s Kurdish Opening Halil M. Karaveli © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program – A Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, 1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 Institute for Security and Development Policy, V. Finnbodav. 2, Stockholm-Nacka 13130, Sweden www.silkroadstudies.org “Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey’s Kurdish Opening” is a Silk Road Paper published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Silk Road Studies Program. The Silk Road Papers Series is the Occasional Paper series of the Joint Center, and ad- dresses topical and timely subjects. The Joint Center is a transatlantic independent and non-profit research and policy center. It has offices in Washington and Stockholm and is affiliated with the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy. It is the first institution of its kind in Europe and North America, and is firmly established as a leading research and policy center, serving a large and diverse commu- nity of analysts, scholars, policy-watchers, business leaders, and journalists. The Joint Center is at the forefront of research on issues of conflict, security, and development in the region. Through its applied research, publications, research cooperation, public lec- tures, and seminars, it functions as a focal point for academic, policy, and public dis- cussion regarding the region. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this study are those of the authors only, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Joint Center or its sponsors.
    [Show full text]
  • Migrants & City-Making
    MIGRANTS & CITY-MAKING This page intentionally left blank MIGRANTS & CITY-MAKING Dispossession, Displacement, and Urban Regeneration Ayşe Çağlar and Nina Glick Schiller Duke University Press • Durham and London • 2018 © 2018 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ∞ Typeset in Minion and Trade Gothic type by BW&A Books, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Çaglar, Ayse, author. | Schiller, Nina Glick, author. Title: Migrants and city-making : multiscalar perspectives on dispossession / Ayse Çaglar and Nina Glick Schiller. Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2018004045 (print) | lccn 2018008084 (ebook) | isbn 9780822372011 (ebook) | isbn 9780822370444 (hardcover : alk. paper) | isbn 9780822370567 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh : Emigration and immigration—Social aspects. | Immigrants—Turkey—Mardin. | Immigrants— New Hampshire—Manchester. | Immigrants—Germany— Halle an der Saale. | City planning—Turkey—Mardin. | City planning—New Hampshire—Manchester. | City planning—Germany—Halle an der Saale. Classification: lcc jv6225 (ebook) | lcc jv6225 .S564 2018 (print) | ddc 305.9/06912091732—dc23 lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018004045 Cover art: Multimedia Center, Halle Saale. Photo: Alexander Schieberle, www.alexschieberle.de To our mothers and fathers, Sitare and Adnan Şimşek and Evelyn and Morris Barnett, who understood the importance of having daughters who
    [Show full text]
  • Report on Imprisoned Journalists
    REPUBLICAN PEOPLE’S PARTY REPORT ON IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS WORLD’S BIGGEST PRISON FOR JOURNALISTS: TURKEY NURETTİN DEMİR VELİ AĞBABA ÖZGÜR ÖZEL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (MUĞLA) MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (MALATYA) MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (MANİSA) REPUBLICAN PEOPLE’S PARTY PRISON EXAMINATION AND WATCH COMMISSION REPORT ON IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS WORLD’S BIGGEST PRISON FOR JOURNALISTS: TURKEY NURETTİN DEMİR VELİ AĞBABA ÖZGÜR ÖZEL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (MUĞLA) (MALATYA) (MANİSA) CONTENTS PREFACE, Ercan İPEKÇİ, General Chairman of the Union of Journalists in Turkey ....... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 11 2. JOURNALISTS IN PRISON: OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS .................. 17 3. JOURNALISTS IN PRISON .......................................................................... 21 3.1 Journalists Put on Trial on Charges of Committing an Off ence against the State and Currently Imprisoned ................................................................................ 21 3.1.1Information on a Number of Arrested/Sentenced Journalists and Findings on the Reasons for their Arrest ........................................................................ 21 3.2 Journalists Put on Trial in Association with KCK (Union of Kurdistan Communities) and Currently Imprisoned .................................... 32 3.2.1Information on a Number of Arrested/Sentenced Journalists and Findings on the Reasons for their Arrest .......................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Turkey's Deep State
    #1.12 PERSPECTIVES Political analysis and commentary from Turkey FEATURE ARTICLES TURKEY’S DEEP STATE CULTURE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS ECOLOGY AKP’s Cultural Policy: Syria: The Case of the Seasonal Agricultural Arts and Censorship “Arab Spring” Workers in Turkey Pelin Başaran Transforming into the Sidar Çınar Page 28 “Arab Revolution” Page 32 Cengiz Çandar Page 35 TURKEY REPRESENTATION Content Editor’s note 3 ■ Feature articles: Turkey’s Deep State Tracing the Deep State, Ayşegül Sabuktay 4 The Deep State: Forms of Domination, Informal Institutions and Democracy, Mehtap Söyler 8 Ergenekon as an Illusion of Democratization, Ahmet Şık 12 Democratization, revanchism, or..., Aydın Engin 16 The Near Future of Turkey on the Axis of the AKP-Gülen Movement, Ruşen Çakır 18 Counter-Guerilla Becoming the State, the State Becoming the Counter-Guerilla, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu 22 Is the Ergenekon Case an Opportunity or a Handicap? Ali Koç 25 The Dink Murder and State Lies, Nedim Şener 28 ■ Culture Freedom of Expression in the Arts and the Current State of Censorship in Turkey, Pelin Başaran 31 ■ Ecology Solar Energy in Turkey: Challenges and Expectations, Ateş Uğurel 33 A Brief Evaluation of Seasonal Agricultural Workers in Turkey, Sidar Çınar 35 ■ International Politics Syria: The Case of the “Arab Spring” Transforming into the “Arab Revolution”, Cengiz Çandar 38 Turkey/Iran: A Critical Move in the Historical Competition, Mete Çubukçu 41 ■ Democracy 4+4+4: Turning the Education System Upside Down, Aytuğ Şaşmaz 43 “Health Transformation Program” and the 2012 Turkey Health Panorama, Mustafa Sütlaş 46 How Multi-Faceted are the Problems of Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Turkey?, Şanar Yurdatapan 48 Crimes against Humanity and Persistent Resistance against Cruel Policies, Nimet Tanrıkulu 49 ■ News from hbs 53 Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Turkey Representation The Heinrich Böll Stiftung, associated with the German Green Party, is a legally autonomous and intellectually open political foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • Seroprevalence of Bluetongue Disease in the Cattle in Siirt Province, Turkey
    IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 11, Issue 12 Ver. I (December 2018), PP 39-41 www.iosrjournals.org Seroprevalence of Bluetongue Disease in the Cattle in Siirt Province, Turkey Ozgur Yasar Celik1*, Tekin Sahin1 1Department of Internal Medicine, Siirt University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,Siirt, Turkey *Corresponding author: Ozgur Yasar Celik Abstract:Bluetongue is a viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants transmitted via the biting flies. The agent is in the Orbivirus genus of the Reoviridae family and has 24 known serotypes. The disease is most common during the summer months and is more severe during humid and rainy times. The aim of this study is to determine the presence of bluetongue infection serologically in cattle in Siirt province, Turkey, and to get information about its prevalence in the region. The material of the study consisted of a total of 279 cattle reared in different localities of Siirt. For laboratory analysis, 5 ml blood samples were taken from jugular vein of cattle and put into non-anticoagulant tubes. The samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes and serum was transferred into Eppendorf tubes and stored at -20 ºC until enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis was performed. Serum samples were analyzed by an ELISA device (Multiskan GO, Thermo Scientific) using the commercial test kit (Bluetongue Virus VP7 Ab Test Kit, IDEXX). The results were evaluated as positive and negative. Of the 279 specimens analyzed, 150 (53.76%) were found to be seropositive and 129 (46.24%) were seronegative.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Advice Turkey Turkey – TUR38112 – Newroz 2005 –
    Country Advice Turkey Turkey – TUR38112 – Newroz 2005 – Taksim Demonstration 2008 – Kurds 10 February 2011 1. Is there any country information about whether the Turkish police disrupted Newroz celebrations on 21 March 2005 in Zeytinburnu, Kalicesme in Istanbul, and detained about 20 people at the police station? Zeytinburnu is a suburb in Istanbul. Kalicesme is the name of a square and a train station in the vicinity of the suburb of Zeytinburnu.1 A translation of the Savas Karsitlari website contains a mention that eight people were arrested at Kalicesme Square during Newroz celebrations on 21 March 2005.2 Newroz Day incidents were reported also in other areas. In Mersin, southern Turkey, it was reported that police arrested six juveniles, and a prosecutor charged them with attempting to burn the national flag.3 4 The US Department of State noted several incidents of police intervening in Newroz day celebrations: HRF reported clashes between police and celebrants in Siirt Province, during which police opened fire, injuring a child. Police in Edirne raided a house and detained a number of local DEHAP officials and students in connection with Nevruz celebrations. During a separate incident in Siirt, police beat juveniles who stoned the police station after police prevented Nevruz celebrations, according to HRF.5 Despite these incidents, a European Union (EU) report stated that March 2005‟s Newroz celebrations were “authorised and peaceful in most provinces”.6 In 2007, however, it was reported that police conducted raids on a Newroz Day rally in Kazlicesme, Istanbul. Police allegedly tried to stop people from attending from other parts of Istanbul, threatening bus drivers to not carry demonstrators, and interrupted speakers by 1 „Kazliçeşme‟ (undated), Google Maps website, http://maps.google.com.au/maps?rls=EGLC,EGLC:2010- 17,EGLC:en&q=mersin+map+turkey&um=1&ie=UTF- 8&hq=&hnear=Icel/Mersin+Province,+Turkey&gl=au&ei=ugZSTfXWKoHYuAP3gszSCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode _result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBwQ8gEwAA - Accessed 9 February 2011 – Attachment 1 2 ÖZMEN, K.
    [Show full text]
  • Cellular and Molecular Biology
    Cellular and Molecular Biology E-ISSN : 1165-158X / P-ISSN : 0145-5680 www.cellmolbiol.org Original Research Antioxidant capacity and phylogenetic analysis of twenty native grape cultivars in Siirt province, Turkey Mehmet Fidan1*, Mehmet Emre Erez1, Behcet İnal2, Süleyman Mesut Pinar3, Serdar Altintaş4 1 Biology Department, Science and Art Faculty, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey 2 Agricultural Biotechnology Department, Agriculture Faculty, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey 3 Van School of Healthy, Van Yüzüncü Yil University, Van, Turkey 4 Horticulture Department, Agriculture Faculty, Siirt University, Siirt, Turkey Correspondence to: [email protected] Received November 17, 2017; Accepted May 10, 2018; Published May 30, 2018 Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14715/cmb/2018.64.7.3 Copyright: © 2018 by the C.M.B. Association. All rights reserved. Abstract: The quality of grape cultivars not only depends on the grape cultivar but also is influenced by the molecular concepts and agro-climatic factors. For this purpose, four different grape cultivars were collected from five different locations in Siirt province (Turkey). Totally twenty different grape cultivars were investigated. In the present study, the antioxidant activity (total phenolic, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin content, DPPH and FRAP activity) in seeds were indicated and phylogenetic analysis (cpDNA;trnL-F region) of twenty native grape cultivars were investigated to construct their phylogenetic tree. According to reported data on antioxidant activity and content of phytochemicals, all cultivars exhibited different values from each other, but Rutik and Gadüv cultivars were found as significantly higher in comparison to others. According to bioinformatics analysis, twenty grape cultivars were distributed into six different major groups. Rutik and Sevkeye cultivars exhibit significant distinction from other grape cultivars.
    [Show full text]
  • The Plot Against the Generals
    THE PLOT AGAINST THE GENERALS Dani Rodrik* June 2014 On a drizzly winter day four-and-a-half years ago, my wife and I woke up at our home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to sensational news from our native Turkey. Splashed on the first page of Taraf, a paper followed closely by the country’s intelligentsia and well-known for its anti-military stance, were plans for a military coup as detailed as they were gory, including the bombing of an Istanbul mosque, the false- flag downing of a Turkish military jet, and lists of politicians and journalists to be detained. The paper said it had obtained documents from 2003 which showed a group within the Turkish military had plotted to overthrow the then-newly elected Islamist government. The putative mastermind behind the coup plot was pictured prominently on the front page: General Çetin Doğan, my father-in-law (see picture). General Doğan and hundreds of his alleged collaborators would be subsequently demonized in the media, jailed, tried, and convicted in a landmark trial that captivated the nation and allowed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to consolidate his power over the secular establishment. In a judgment issued in October 2013, Turkey’s court of appeals would ratify the lower court’s decision and the decades-long prison sentences it had meted out. Today it is widely recognized that the coup plans were in fact forgeries. Forensic experts have determined that the plans published by Taraf and forming the backbone of the prosecution were produced on backdated computers and Cover of Taraf on the alleged coup attempt made to look as if they were prepared in 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • Sabiha Gökçen's 80-Year-Old Secret‖: Kemalist Nation
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO ―Sabiha Gökçen‘s 80-Year-Old Secret‖: Kemalist Nation Formation and the Ottoman Armenians A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Communication by Fatma Ulgen Committee in charge: Professor Robert Horwitz, Chair Professor Ivan Evans Professor Gary Fields Professor Daniel Hallin Professor Hasan Kayalı Copyright Fatma Ulgen, 2010 All rights reserved. The dissertation of Fatma Ulgen is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2010 iii DEDICATION For my mother and father, without whom there would be no life, no love, no light, and for Hrant Dink (15 September 1954 - 19 January 2007 iv EPIGRAPH ―In the summertime, we would go on the roof…Sit there and look at the stars…You could reach the stars there…Over here, you can‘t.‖ Haydanus Peterson, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, reminiscing about the old country [Moush, Turkey] in Fresno, California 72 years later. Courtesy of the Zoryan Institute Oral History Archive v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page……………………………………………………………....
    [Show full text]
  • The Situation in Turkish Kurdistan, November 1992
    INSTITUT URD DE PARIS THE SITUATION IN TURKISH KURDISTAN Information and liaison bulletin I SPECIAL ISSUE I NOVEMBER 1992 This bulletin is issued in French. German.EnqIish. Kurdish. Spanish and TurRish. Price per issue: France: 30 FF - Elsewhere: 35 FF Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France: 300 FF - Elsewhere: 350 FF Monthly review Directeur de la publication: Mohamad HASSAN num~ro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 AS. ISSN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURD!:. 106. rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : (I) 48 24 64 64 - Fax: 477099 04 The tragic fight of the Kurduh people, which has lasted for such a long time, has its origins in the principle right of everypopulation toauto-determination. Thu u why it is a righteous fight. I call open all governments, organizations and citizens ofall countries as well as the international organizations to become aware ; in their relations with the countries where Kurds live, they should become aware of the realpolitics conducted by the leaders of these countries and their politics concerning the Kurds. No manifestation of cruelty, no national or social injustice, no impinging on human rights and no genocide should go unnoticed. Neither should it remain without consequence for those countries allowing these actions. Andrei Sakharov Excerpt from Mr. A. Sakharov's message at the International Conference in Paris: "The Kurds: Human Rights and Cultural Identity, " ,. October 14-15,1989. THE SITUATION IN TURKISH KURDISTAN • From repression to "total war" • A few basic facts • The destruction and evacuation of Kurdish cities and villages • Assassinations of Kurdish civilians • Censorship • Turkish points of view • Western testimony FROM REPRESSION TO "TOTAL WAR" toll established by of banned and the Turkish daily Since the military caup of confiscated books).
    [Show full text]
  • EU-Turkey Relations and the Stagnation of Turkish Democracy
    EU-Turkey Relations and the Stagnation of Turkish Democracy Senem Aydın-Düzgit and E. Fuat Keyman Istanbul Bilgi University and Sabanci University WORKING PAPER 02 EU-Turkey Relations and the Stagnation of Turkish Democracy Senem Aydın-Düzgit and E. Fuat Keyman* Turkey EU Accession Process Democracy Deficit Abstract Introduction The current stagnation of Turkish democracy goes hand in hand with the current impasse in EU-Turkey relations. A combination of domestic Back in August 2004, we published a working paper on the role of factors with a loss of credibility of EU conditionality led to a situation Turkey’s relations with the EU in transforming Turkish democracy in which political reform is substantially stalled and in cases where it as part of a larger project on EU-Turkey relations conducted by the is realised, it is mostly conducted to serve the interests of the ruling Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Economics and political elite and with no real reference to the EU. The virtuous cycle of Foreign Policy Forum (Aydın and Keyman 2004). The central argument reform that characterised the 1999-2005 period has been replaced by of the paper was that the strengthening credibility of EU conditionality a vicious cycle in which lack of effective conditionality feeds into po- towards Turkey, coupled with favourable domestic and international litical stagnation which in turn moves Turkey and the EU further away dynamics resulted in substantial reforms towards the consolidation from one another. of Turkish democracy. The paper, written prior to the EU’s decision to open accession negotiations with Turkey, concluded that the opening of accession talks with the country on the basis of a fair decision that rests on Turkey’s achievements in its modernity and democracy would constitute a crucial step in remedying the remaining problematic aspects of Turkish democracy.
    [Show full text]