Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Turkey Related Subjects => Turkey Discussion Forum (Not Calis specifically) => Topic started by: JohnF on March 04, 2016, 09:05:38 AM
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A few years ago I'd have been happy to see the demise of the Zaman Group - they were nowt more than a mouthpiece for the pious shoebox loving AK Party.
Wind on a bit and we have the spectacular falling out of little reginald and his favourite media group.
Since then, they've managed to turn themselves into a decent rag, the fact they're very anti AKP helps ;) Since the release of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül last week, the pious ones have all been frothing at the mouth with rage and indignation. How dare the constitutional court go against the wishes of the pious ones?
Well, its looking like the pious ones have their revenge ready - reports are surfacing that the government is ready to seize the Zaman Group, just as they did with the (pro Gulen) Koza Ipek media company last year. Trustees are (allegedly) in place to take over and run the group as another government puppet news outlet.
I hope this comes to nothing as it'd be another, fairly large, nail in the coffin that presents itself as the freedom of expression in Turkey.
JF
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Too late it seems. A Court has this morning appointed Trustees to take over Todays Zaman. Absolutely disgusting.
Who will want to invest in Turkey.?? >:( >:(
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This just illustrates that the current Turkish government have cast aside any pretence of this country being a democracy.
Dissenting voices are gradually being silenced. The highest courts in the land are being circumvented to their own aims.
I'd paraphrase Pastor Martin Niemoller again, but cant be arsed.
JF
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From a personal safety point of view I'm not bothered by terrorism either in the UK or Turkey {road accidents are the main cause of sudden death for both residents and tourists} but if Turkey continues down the present road then it will implode into one more repressive Middle East dictatorship and I don't think I could stomach that as a holiday destination. Perhaps my 20th year of visiting the country will be my last.
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Common sense would say why aren't the US and the EU doing anything to stop this happening.??
Answer.
Yesterday the US sold £700 millions worth of smart bombs to Turkey, and Turkey has some useful air bases.
The EU are giving £3 billion to Turkey to hope they will put right Merkel's Mistake. (few shoe boxes there)
Democracy.? It was just a dream.
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Perhaps my 20th year of visiting the country will be my last.
I hope not.
JF
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Grrr. I don't care what affiliation anybody is. If they don't hurt anybody else, they should be free to be, to speak, to believe, to publish, whatever they want.
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What is frustrating is how it is obvious what is happening, and the people (and opposition) just let it continue in front of their eyes. The day when it is too late to do anything gets ever closer.
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Was never good, but getting steadily worse:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_Freedom_Index
Now ranked behind that shining beacon of liberalism - Zimbabwe.
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Not sure if folks in Turkey will see the same page, but this is worth a look:
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnists (http://www.todayszaman.com/columnists)
The first article is "Turkey builds large prisons for mass crackdown" and makes for interesting reading.
JF
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Yes an interesting article on prisoner numbers in Turkey. Although I picked up on the article by an American woman on Turkey and the absence of trust, and why Turkey will never be at ease with itself, its neighbours and its citizens unless it learns to trust. Please read this article, you can find it in the link in John's post above. It really does say it all for me what is wrong with Turkey.
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With the exception of a couple, these articles were all written just before the gates were chained and premises invaded. I was under the impression that it was blocked in Turkey, obviously not - although it maybe to those who use TTNet's DNS, I'm sure you (UBT) don't.
JF
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According to a BBC report on Today's Zaman, ex-Zaman staff have founded a new paper. If anyone has info or links I'd be pleased if it was posted here.
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The BBC reports aren't entirely accurate. It looks like they have moved to an existing online newspaper, Yarina Bakis (http://www.yarinabakis.com/haber). I think it was a technology news site prior to the weekend, as opposed to a general news and current affairs site.
JF
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Pity I can't find an English version but I see they have a pictorial heading featuring Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International.
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Sorry, meant to say in Turkish only for now.
JF
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It's noticeable that there isn't a huge global outcry from fellow journalist's over the Zaman, and the dozens of other
press infringements. There is usually a mass outpouring of condemnation and a show of solidarity. Strange.
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Not sure that's entirely true Kevin, it's been covered pretty extensively in both foreign and Turkish publications. The problem domestically is that every journalist who doesn't write for a pro government publication is treading a fine line over what they want to write, and what may earn them a free All Inclusive holiday in the Silivri Penitentiaries Campus.
Mustafa Akyol wrote a good article in HDN (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/confiscating-newspapers--one-booty-at-a-time.aspx?PageID=238&NID=96211&NewsCatID=411) today - the most important part being:
Over the past seven years, at least seven major centrist Turkish newspapers magically turned into pro-Erdoğan mouthpieces. The magic was in the economic suffocation of their bosses. These bosses either had to sell the papers to new bosses, (who all turned out to be best buddies of the president), or accept giving the whole control of their media to president-approved “charge of affairs.”
Scary stuff. In fact its close approaching 95% of media outlets in Turkey that are all now pro-Erdoğan and as the article says, its happened over the past seven years which indicates its been a long term strategy. Is it any wonder the average man or woman in the street (particularly in mid Anatolia and the East) blindly believe everything they're told by the government?
JF