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58 Twitter users prosecuted for criticizing Turkish state-run news agency

Editor’s Daily Pick

Parliament has approved the domestic security package, which expands police authority, limiting fundamental rights.(Photo: Today's Zaman)

The European Union has joined the chorus of criticism -- echoing concerns of US lawmakers -- against Turkey's new and controversial internal security law, citing the need to ensure universal human rights, freedoms and European standards. In a letter replying to a question from Today's Zaman regarding the position of the EU on the domestic security package, spokesperson for EU foreign affairs and security policy, Maja Kocijancic, stated that although increasing the security of citizens is a legitimate purpose, the measures enforced “must be accomplished in strict adherence to universal fundamental rights and freedoms and European standards.” The domestic security package, fiercely opposed by opposition parties, was passed in Parliament early morning last Friday after more than a month of struggle that included brawls and rising tension between opposition and ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies. The initial 132 articles of the proposal were reduced to 68 after the ruling party removed those it did not consider highly important in order to allow for the swift passage of the remaining articles. Noting that the European Commission “has not been consulted on the adopted provisions of the domestic security package,” Kocijancic highlighted that, as it stands, “the proportionality of the measures and their impact on fundamental rights and freedoms when they will be implemented” remains unclear. Stressing the EU's intention “to have a closer examination of the final text to fine-tune our assessment and to communicate it to the Turkish government,” the letter reiterates the EU's “offer to engage with the Turkish authorities, and if possible also the Council of Europe, to make sure that the implementation of this legislation will be in line with European standards and best practices.”

US: Curbs on freedom of assembly weaken democratic societies

The cautious document from the EU comes at a time when a number of critics, including from the US, have voiced concerns over the newly enacted internal security law, which expands police powers and the authority of provincial governors. “We believe curbs on freedom of assembly weaken rather than strengthen democratic societies,” Acting Deputy Spokesperson Jeff Rathke told a daily press briefing at the State Department on Friday when asked to comment on the newly passed legislation. “And we share the concerns raised by civil society actors and others about Turkey's security legislation, that it would reduce space for diverse points of view. And we will continue to discuss with Turkish government officials the importance of taking steps to safeguard due process as well as renew confidence that legal changes will not erode fundamental freedoms,” Rathke said. The US administration has been under pressure from Congress to speak out against rights violations and a growing authoritarianism under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party government.

EP Turkey rapporteur Piri: Bill paves way for police violence

Earlier this month, the European Parliament's (EP) Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri underlined that the bill is at odds with the prerequisites of a democratic state because the amendments in the omnibus bill violate the right to demonstrate, freedom of expression and the right to privacy. Speaking to a Dutch national broadcaster, Piri also expressed concern that the steps the government has taken over the past two years raise suspicions about the country's willingness to join the EU. “This bill paves the way for police violence. Instead of addressing the previous shortcomings [with regard to the police authority], the police's authorities will be expanded further,” said Piri. "If these developments [of the last two years] continue, one might question if Turkey wants to join the EU," she said.

New law: broader police authority, extensive governor power, chanting slogans illegal

The domestic security package has been criticized for giving the police broader authority to use their weapons and also grants the Interior Ministry, governors and district governors extensive powers -- another disputed aspect of the bill. The package also expands the scope of the definition of “other weapons” carried and used by protesters during demonstrations that justify a police officer firing his gun. For example, fireworks will be considered a weapon and a police officer will be able to fire at protesters who carry or use fireworks. With the passage of the domestic security package, provincial governors and district governors are now able to instruct and command police and gendarmerie forces to investigate criminal activity, whereas previously only public prosecutors were able to wield this authority. The domestic security package, which has been said to resemble practices used during periods of military rule, dictates that damage to public property be paid for by the perpetrator. Also, those chanting the slogans of outlawed organizations during protests and those carrying banners and emblems of outlawed groups will now be charged with prison sentences ranging from six months to three years. According to the law, firearms, Molotov cocktails, improvised explosives and fireworks, which were already classified as illegal, will now all be classified as assault weapons. Those involved in such actions and those who hide their faces with masks so as not to be identified will be charged with a sentence ranging from six months to four years. The adoption of the domestic security package also means police colleges and the police academy, which prepares administrative personnel for the police force, will be shut down. Current students will be transferred to suitable schools based on their exam grades, while tutors of the police colleges and academies will become Ministry of Education staff.

Amnesty: Draconian law ensures appalling Turkish policing enshrined in law

Human rights NGO Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement on Friday critical of the newly adopted legislation, saying, “A range of security reforms in a bill passed by Turkey's Parliament today will give the country's police forces broad and dangerous new powers to detain people and use firearms to quell dissent.” “Today's [Friday] vote to pass this draconian new law confirms our fears -- Turkey's Parliament has taken some of the worst abuses from the country's appalling track record on policing and effectively endorsed them in law,” Andrew Gardner, researcher on Turkey at AI, was quoted to have said.

Gezi Park protests indicate what heavy-handed police intervention could mean

Critics have claimed that the AK Party, afraid of losing its majority in the next general election in June, may be inclined to allow police to wield the newly passed powers in an attempt to quell any possible dissent regarding the election process. This heavy-handedness by security forces was seen in 2013 when millions of Turks spilled out onto the streets during the last days of May and engaged in protests that lasted until mid-July. Although the protests were sparked by government plans to destroy a park located in İstanbul's Taksim Square and build an Ottoman-style military barracks in its place, it is common knowledge that many citizens are frustrated with Erdoğan's authoritarian style of government. The protests constituted the largest demonstrations in the nation's history, spreading across the nation and taking place in all but two of Turkey's 81 provinces. They attracted worldwide media coverage and elicited criticism from many of Turkey's most steadfast Western allies, including the US and the EU. Turkish security forces were severely condemned on a number of platforms for repeatedly using disproportionate and arbitrary force against peaceful protesters, sometimes with fatal consequences. (Today's Zaman)

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Veteran Turkish journalist Can Dündar is among those prosecuted for criticizing the state-run news agency via his Twitter posts. (Photo: Cihan, Yavuz Akengin)

An investigation has been launched into 58 individuals including journalists, deputies, musicians and actors on the grounds that they posted messages on Twitter criticizing the state-run Anadolu news agency, according to a story in the Cumhuriyet daily over the weekend. The individuals facing investigation include Zaman daily Washington representative Ali Halit Aslan, world-renowned pianist Fazıl Say, Cumhuriyet daily Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar, Cumhuriyet correspondent Ahmet Şık, Hürriyet writer Melis Alphan, Miliyet reporter Burcu Karakaş, Taraf and Today's Zaman columnist Emre Uslu, Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Umut Oran and Müslim Sarı, actor Erdal Beşikçioğlu and pop singer Atilla Taş. Anadolu has received growing criticism for being the propaganda tool of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The agency attracted heavy criticism for its coverage of the results of the March 30 local elections last year in favor of the AK Party. These individuals are accused of insulting the news agency, but their tweets that are included in the investigation file do not contain insults. For instance, one of the tweets posted by Dündar about Anadolu says: “It is beneficial to recall that the general manager of the Anadolu news agency was the former press advisor of [deputy prime minister] Bülent Arınç.” A tweet posted by Oran says: “Loyal supporters of the CHP, please do not trust the news reports of the Anadolu news agency.” In one of his tweets, Say wrote: “By first giving the results from the rural areas in metropolitan cities in the elections, the Anadolu news agency attempted to manipulate the election results.” These individuals have been asked to remove these tweets, or else their accounts will be closed down. The growing government pressure on journalists and other individuals is becoming more visible every day, with more cases being launched against them on the grounds that they have insulted state officials or institutions. Last Wednesday, Twitter blocked access to two tweets posted by two top editors from the Today's Zaman daily over Turkish court decisions which had ruled that the posts contained “insults” directed at Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Davutoğlu recently sued Today's Zaman Editor-in-Chief Bülent Keneş and Managing Editor Celil Sağır over tweets they wrote, the latest in a series of similar cases filed against journalists in Turkey. In another development, an indictment was prepared against journalist Ergun Babahan seeking up to two years, eight months in prison for allegedly “insulting” President Erdoğan's son, Bilal Erdoğan, in one of his columns. An investigation was launched and subsequently a case was opened against Millet daily columnist Babahan after a complaint was made by Bilal Erdoğan over a column titled “Let's all shout together: The thief will be called to account.” The indictment claims that the journalist committed the crime of “insult through the media” in a column dated Dec. 17, 2014, the first anniversary of a major corruption scandal that also implicated Bilal Erdoğan. Media Ethics Council (MEK) President Halit Esendir has also been sentenced to 11 months, 20 days in prison on charges of insulting National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head Hakan Fidan. In the meantime, journalist Şık had his Instagram account closed last Wednesday due to pictures he shared from his account. The pictures were from Nevruz celebrations in Diyarbakır province, some of which featured jailed outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan. Şık's account was reopened later due to strong reactions on social media. (Today's Zaman)

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Hundreds of thousands of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) members flocked to the polling stations on March 29 to vote to elect their candidates for the June 7 parliamentary elections, making the the sole party in putting primaries in place. CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was among thousands of candidates for nomination who sought the backing of party members in order to be registered to run in the June parliamentary elections from İzmir, Turkey’s third largest city. “We are introducing a new understanding. We have accomplished primaries in 55 constituencies (out of 81) and around one million members [of the CHP] are casting their votes. We are doing this to reintroduce the practice and to strengthen democracy,” Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters after voting in the primaries. “No other party except for the CHP is doing this. Why we are doing this? Because, we believe in democracy,” he added, also calling on those who fail to get nominated as a parliamentary candidate to continue working for the CHP in the coming months and throughout the election campaign. “I call on my people: The only party that believes in democracy is the CHP. That’s why I call on people: Do you want democracy in this country? The party you should vote for is obvious,” Kılıçdaroğlu added. CHP heavyweights take part in elections Another senior figure running in the primaries is former CHP head Deniz Baykal, who is currently a deputy from Antalya. Önder Sav, a former secretary-general of the party who lost his seat after a disagreement with Kılıçdaroğlu, was also among contenders of the primaries. “Whatever the results, I will continue to be in the service of the CHP,” Sav said. Hakkı Süha Okay, a former CHP deputy parliamentary group leader who parted ways with Kılıçdaroğlu, also ran in the March 29 primaries. “Today, Turkey is at a junction. There is a struggle for the regime. Under these circumstances, everybody’s duty is to make Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu the prime minister,” Okay said. Mustafa Sarıgül, an ambitious populist figure who was the CHP’s mayoral candidate for Istanbul in last year’s local election, was also among those who running in the primaries. The results of the internal elections were expected to be announced late on March 29, after the Hürriyet Daily News went to print. All parties must submit their list of candidates by the April 7 deadline. (Hürriyet Daily News)

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Hollywood star Julianne Moore may have won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar, but Turkish officials have rejected a bid to make her Turkey’s tourism face by citing her “poor acting.” The Culture and Tourism Ministry disapproved of the acclaimed actress' performance in a film promoting tourism in Turkey and demanded a reshoot. However, Moore declined the ministry’s offer, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the project, daily Hürriyet has learned. Sources told Hürriyet that the ministry ended up rejecting the film, citing Moore’s "poor acting." Last month, Moore won the Best Actress award at the Oscars for her performance in the film “Still Alice” after four previous Oscar nomination disappointments. Ministry officials declined to release an official statement about the cancellation, stressing that the Moore promotional film was an advertising agency’s project and the ministry does not comment on unfinished projects. Emre Yücel, the owner of the agency partnership Iconisus & I Mean It, took a $1.5 million hit due to the cancellation of the $4 million project. The agency announced that it had chosen Moore for the “Home Of” promotional film project after it had won the tender last year. In the film, Moore was seen revisiting her childhood journeys to Turkey while traveling on an airplane. The promotional film was shot in Los Angeles with the Hollywood star last year. It was expected to be aired in Turkey in February 2014. The choice of Moore had been criticized by a number of prominent figures in Turkey, from advertisers to politicians, with many slamming her "depressive persona." The ministry sources said there was nothing unique about the project, emphasizing that “over 30 similar films” with other actors have been made. In an interview with Hürriyet last year, Yücel said Moore was the right choice, as she would appeal to American and British people, women, middle-aged people, and wealthier potential tourists who Turkey is trying to woo. “I can’t understand why she is not liked here,” he had said at the time. (Hürriyet Daily News)

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ISIL militants raised the group's flag in the Syrian village of Kara, which is 400 meters away from Yavuzlu village in the southeastern province of Kilis. DHA photo

Five Dutch citizens have been detained while trying to cross from Turkey to Syria illegally, the Turkish army announced in a statement on March 29. According to the General Staff statement, a total of 97 foreigners, 92 of them Syrian citizens, tried to cross into Syria on March 28. Turkish troops also discovered five hunting rifles buried near the border in the Görentaş area of Hatay province. Farther east on the border, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants raised their flag in the Syrian village of Kara, which is 400 meters away from Yavuzlu village in the southeastern province of Kilis. After the ISIL flag was raised in Syria, Turkish flags were raised in response on the roof of some houses on the Turkish side. The Turkish army had tightened the border in the past weeks after smugglers intensified their efforts. (Hürriyet Daily News)

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The reopening of the Great Synagogue in Edirne was hailed by Turkey's Jewish community, which flocked to the opening of the historic temple

Renovated over a four-year period and funded by the government, Kal Kadoş ha Gadol Synagogue was reopened on Thursday. It will serve as both a museum and as a place of worship as a part of Turkey's latest efforts to win back the hearts and minds of minorities that have long suffered from suppressive policies in the past. For the government, the synagogue is a symbol of peaceful coexistence of different faiths and cultures, which the country has long been synonymous for except occasional ultranationalist riots. For Jews, it is a restoration of tolerance. İshak İbrahimzadeh, head of Turkey's Jewish community, praised the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for "making a change" for the community. İbrahimzadeh said Turks and Jews had shared the same country and fate but were "divided and alienated" over time. "Now we see the headlines that tolerance was rebuilt," he said. İbrahimzadeh stressed that Jews were subject to unfair accusations and branded as sinister people plotting against the state in the past. "We always felt obliged to defend ourselves against a discourse of hatred depicting us as enemies and traitors, and we repeatedly underscored that we were loyal citizens of this country. We were forced to isolate ourselves in time and lost our hope for a better future. Today, the opening of this synagogue and this ceremony is the best response by the state against the dividing discourse targeting Jews. This is a turning point for us. Our state eliminated prejudice toward minorities by returning their rights, their properties. We have a long way to go, but we appreciate that we at least have a way to move forward," he said. İbrahimzadeh said that he spoke to Erdoğan while he was prime minister five years ago. "While speaking on minorities' rights, [Erdoğan] said, 'We have to give everyone their rights,' and I thought it was the usual political statement. Yet, it was also he who pioneered the return of rights to our community, return of properties and extra rights in education, things that once seemed impossible to be returned. Mr. President, you created this change, and we thank you for this," he said. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said Turks and Jews had coexisted in Anatolia in peace for centuries. Arınç said Turkey has accelerated its democratization in recent years and that communities of different faiths and cultures live freely. He also said that Turkey both restored historic places of worship and returned properties to minorities. On the strained relations between Turkey and Israel, Arınç said it was different than relations between communities. "Our relations with Jews did not start with Israel's foundation. Our country has always been a haven for Jews from around the world, be them those fleeing Spain 500 years ago or those fleeing the Nazi regime in Germany in the 1930s. They adopted Turkey as their home, became an inseparable part of our culture and made great contributions to our country," he said. Arınç highlighted Turkey's efforts to fight anti-Semitism and said Turkey contributed to the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and projects in the initiative to fight anti-Semitism. He also stressed that Turkey also made a significant donation to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland. He wrapped up his speech with a call to the Jewish Diaspora around the world. "We have a population of 78 million ready to embrace you if you want to live here," he said. The restoration of the synagogue is part of the government's efforts of democratization that focuses on the return of rights to neglected minorities, from Jews to Greeks. Many properties have been returned to these minorities decades after their forceful confiscation by the state, while the government also pursues a policy of restoring abandoned historical buildings such as the synagogue in Edirne. (Daily Sabah)

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Protesters in İstanbul's centraldistrict of Kadıköy also demonstrated against the ISIL advance on Kobani, in early October of last year.(Photo: Cihan, Kürşat Bayhan)

If the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is unable to overcome the election threshold in the upcoming general election, there is the risk that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may push for cantons to be established and that mass protests will take place in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast, with the settlement process entering shaky ground. “They [PKK] will take advantage of the situation to build a canton system, arguing that the political system has lost its legitimacy for them,” İbrahim Güçlü, a Kurdish intellectual who does not subscribe to the PKK's ideology, told Sunday's Zaman. For the first time, the HDP, which is affiliated with the PKK, will run as a party in the general election on June 7 instead of fielding only independent candidates as in past elections to circumvent the 10 percent election threshold. Last year, the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU, attempted to establish canton-like autonomous administrations similar to those in Syria in some parts of southeastern Turkey such as the towns of Cizre, Silopi and Yüksekova. “Fighting may ensue as the state will not remain indifferent to such a move,” Güçlü cautioned, which would mean the end of an already precarious settlement process launched to resolve the country's Kurdish issue and terrorism problem. Kurds in Syria, taking advantage of the civil war in the country, have established three autonomous cantons in the northern part of the country and which are on Turkey's border. According to the election law, a political party needs to obtain more than 10 percent of the vote to be represented in Parliament. Candidates from Kurdish parties, the HDP's predecessors, were only able to receive 6.5 percent of the vote in the past election in 2011, which makes the HDP's move rather risky. There are also concerns that the PKK may push for violent, uprising-like mass protests particularly in the Southeast of the country as was the case during the Oct. 6-8 events of last year. Between Oct. 6 and 8, 2014, thousands of PKK sympathizers took to the streets to protest the government's unwillingness to militarily assist the Kurdish militants defending the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish border against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Around 50 people were killed after the protests turned violent, a significant number of them by the protesters themselves. Following the demonstrations, which spread to many cities, Interior Minister Efkan Ala reportedly admitted during a ruling party meeting that the government had at times lost control in some cities during the protests. HDP Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş, back in January when he first announced that the HDP would compete as a party in the elections in June, tried to dismiss any possibility of violence should the party remain out of Parliament by failing to surpass the election threshold. “If we cannot surpass the threshold, [then] we will work outside [of Parliament]. Why should blood be shed because we are not in Parliament?” said Demirtaş, adding that the legitimacy of the political system would be questioned by Kurds should the HDP remain outside of Parliament. But the possibility of Kurdish violence cannot be disregarded should the HDP not be elected to Parliament. Hüsamettin Zenderlioğlu, an HDP deputy, speaking somewhat bluntly during the Nevruz celebrations in Bitlis nearly two weeks ago, said, “If this party fails to pass the threshold in June [elections], if this party loses to the ruling party, then all hell will break loose.” After the settlement process was launched at the end of 2012, it was widely accepted that the PKK was in a better position to organize widespread public protests thanks to its urban structure, the activities of which had been mostly ignored by the authorities for the sake of the ongoing peace talks. “The protests on Oct. 6-8 were a dress rehearsal for future uprising-like protests,” Atilla Sandıklı, the president of the İstanbul-based Wise Men Center for Strategic Studies (Bilgesam), told Sunday's Zaman after the protests. Last year, sympathizers of the PKK were involved in many demonstrations in southeastern Turkey, blocking highways in the region, digging ditches and declaring self-rule in the neighborhoods of some towns. The peace talks between the government and Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, have been on precarious ground for some time now as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said he was against any further steps being taken by the government as part of the settlement process since the PKK has failed to lay down its arms as promised. In a rare violation of the cease-fire in place since the process was launched, the Turkish military returned fire from the PKK on Wednesday targeting three military posts in Hakkari province. What encouraged the HDP to take part in the upcoming elections as a party may be the success of HDP Co-chairman Demirtaş during the presidential election last year. Although independent Kurdish politicians affiliated with HDP obtained a total of around 2.8 million votes -- which amounts to 6.5 percent of all votes -- in the last parliamentary elections in 2011, Demirtaş managed to receive 9.8 percent of the vote in the presidential election last August, or 3.9 million votes. According to many recent opinion surveys, the HDP might just surpass the election threshold with a slight margin or receive around 9 percent of the vote in the June elections. Should the HDP find itself left out of Parliament by a hair's breadth, tensions among HDP voters may run high. Some provocative remarks would be enough to push the masses into protests that may end up in violence, as was the case in Ağrı following local elections last year. When claims of rigging were leveled by HDP members following local elections in Ağrı, a predominantly Kurdish city in eastern Turkey, HDP sympathizers in the city took to the streets and many people were wounded during protests. HDP Co-chairman Figen Yüksekdağ, in an interview on the Habertürk news channel at the end of last month, also challenged the election threshold, saying, “If the HDP cannot pass the threshold, the legitimacy of the elections would be questioned.” The moment HDP figures publicly announce, following June 7, that they do not consider the elections legitimate, mass protests cannot be ruled out in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast and in some major cities such as İstanbul and İzmir, which have significant Kurdish populations. Cemil Bayık, the head of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella organization that encompasses the PKK, was also moderate in his comments in the event the HDP is left out of Parliament. “The HDP would continue to do politics outside of Parliament,” Bayık, who is based in the Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq, recently said in a statement to the Taraf daily. But his next remark vaguely implied that mass protests could not be ruled out: “It [the HDP] would push Turkey for early elections.” To force Turkey to enter snap elections after the elections in June, it is possible that widespread mass protests, which might turn violent, will be organized. Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat, a Kurdish politician who resigned from his posts in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the end of 2008, does not feel that violent protests would take place even if the HDP is left out of Parliament. But Fırat, who will run on the HDP ticket in the upcoming elections, also believes the legitimacy of Parliament would be questioned by Kurds in such a scenario. “Kurdish deputies from the ruling party do not represent Kurds. They would not be welcomed in the towns in southeastern Turkey,” Fırat, who previously served as AK Party deputy chairman, he told Sunday's Zaman. If the HDP is left out of Parliament, the ruling party is expected to have all its deputies in southeastern Turkey elected as the other opposition parties have very weak voter support in the region. The HDP is hopeful that it will pass the threshold thanks to support from some left-wing voters and from Kurds who previously voted for the ruling AK Party. Some Kurds who are dissatisfied with the steps taken by the government so far on the settlement process may vote for the HDP in the upcoming elections. By passing the 10 percent election threshold, the HDP believes it will evolve into a nationwide party and will change the general political picture in the country. The party also believes running in the elections as a party will motivate its voters to go to the ballot box, since voter turnout was low in the country's predominantly Kurdish Southeast in the 2014 presidential election. The HDP is currently represented by more than 30 deputies in Parliament. Should it get more than 10 percent of the vote in the upcoming elections, it is expected to have more than 50 deputies. (Today's Zaman)

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Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Friday expressed his support for a switch from the current parliamentary government to a presidential system, saying the new presidential system will be included in AK Party's election manifesto. Davutoğlu ruled out the claims that he is not in favor of a presidency system switch and said the current system in Turkey does not address the crucial political matters and brings a clash of authorities within the state. He also said that the presidential system switch and a new constitution will be included in the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) election manifesto and added that part of the manifesto that explains the details about the AK Party's intention to switch the country's political system was personally penned by himself. Throughout modern Turkey's history, the governmental system has been a hotly debated issue that began with the eighth president, Turgut Özal, and continued with the ninth, Süleyman Demirel, and has been brought up again by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who has asserted that a presidential system is more suitable to the country's political structure. (Daily Sabah)

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The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has urgently decided to fortify the retaining walls of Topkapı Palace due to an imminent risk of collapse. Facing the Seraglio Point, or "Sarayburnu," at the mouth of the Bosporus, the neglected walls have suffered greatly from earthquakes and wars. Dating back to the Byzantine period, the retaining walls have been used to protect the imperial palace from natural disasters, notably earthquakes. Following comprehensive architectural and static analyses, the ministry will immediately begin the fortification process. The decision was approved on March 25 and the project has been put out to tender. A number of durability tests will be carried out to check the structure of the stones, mortar and the carrier system before the project starts. Special attention will be paid to protecting the walls' historical integrity. In 330, the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine the Great, founded the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire on the existing site of the ancient Greek city of Byzantion and rechristened it Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). He later decided to build a palace situated between the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome, in what is now Sultanahmet Square. The seafront side of the palace was surrounded with retaining walls. At the time of the Crusades, the palace was badly damaged and plundered. A new palace, the Blachernae, was built in what is now the district of Edirnekapı, and the former was left to its fate. Following the 1453 conquest of Constantinople, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II built Topkapı Palace in 1478 on the field where the ruins of the initial Byzantine palace existed. The retaining walls surrounding the façade of the imperial palace looking out to the Marmara Sea were retained to protect it. For 400 years, the palace remained as the principal center of authority of the Ottoman Empire. During the reign of Sultan Mustafa III, the palace and its walls were damaged in a 1766 earthquake. Repair work took many years, but was not properly completed, due to ongoing wars. The first maintenance work was conducted under the commission of Abdülhamid I, who succeeded to the throne in 1774, eight years after the 1766 earthquake. The sultan paid all expenses from his personal budget, but the renovation was suspended when he was unable to meet the costs. Standing in their original place for well over 1,000 years, the walls have lost their retaining function. After the major earthquake in 1999, a restoration project was put on the agenda, but was never realized. (Daily Sabah)

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AA Photo

A regulation granting a discretionary fund for the presidency was passed as part of a government-sponsored omnibus bill in the General Assembly of the Turkish parliament early March 27, despite objection from opposition parties. The president can use the fund “for state necessities that contain discreet intelligence and defense services; the national security and higher interests of the state; political, social and cultural purposes; and extraordinary services,” according to the regulation passed in parliament, which made changes to the Public Finance Management and Control Law, which provides the discretionary fund for the prime ministry. How and where the presidential discretionary fund will be used will be defined by a presidential enactment that will only bear the president’s signature. The discretionary fund for the prime ministry is paid with an order that is signed by the prime ministry, the finance minister and the relevant minister for whom the fund is used. Just like all the other presidential enactments, which are regulated under Article 107 of the constitution, the enactment for the presidency discretionary fund will not be subject to administrative jurisdiction. A discretionary fund covers a great range of expenditures as it can be used for anything from confidential missions to retrieving cultural monuments overseas, which is seen as necessary for the government and the state. The law forbids the use of this fund for family purposes, adding that the fund cannot exceed the funds given with the overall budget of the relevant year. The regulation giving a discretionary fund for the president was inserted in the omnibus bill in a motion filed by Interior Minister Sebahattin Öztürk, who was appointed to the post for three months in early March to replace Efkan Ala, who procedurally resigned from his post as part of a constitutional obligation designed to ensure a neutral election environment, which will take place on June 7. While the fund was defended by ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies, the regulation elicited the objections of opposition party deputies. Development Minister Cevdet Yılmaz said the discretionary fund was given to a post and not a person, therefore the president, as the head of state, would act responsibly, adding that there was nothing odd about the fund. AKP Group Deputy Chairman Ahmet Aydın said the fund to be given to the presidency was normal and should also be perceived as normal. “[The president] has assumed duty to conduct the missions that need to be done for the higher interest of the state. It is absolutely normal that there are some fund allocations to him to pursue according to these national interests. It should be perceived as normal,” said Aydın. But Republican People’s Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chairman Akif Hamzaçebi objected to the regulation, suggesting that the new fund, which he dubbed as the “presidential coup,” was an attempt to gain control over the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MİT), which is under the authority of the prime ministry. “This is a constitutional coup. [President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] wants to tie the illegal structure inside MİT directly to himself. With this regulation, secret operations will be conducted much more easily under Erdoğan’s instruction,” said Hamzaçebi. “This is treason to the parliamentary system and the prime minister.” Hamzaçebi added that with the discretionary fund, a “parallel state” had been established inside the presidential palace. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Group Deputy Chairman Oktay Vural questioned the regulation by asking what the president would do with this fund. Vural mocked the presidential discretionary fund by proposing that deputies send one of their monthly salaries to the presidency, as the presidency’s money was not enough, so that a discreet fund was being established. Meanwhile, regulations on various topics were also passed with the omnibus bill, including a controversial Internet bill. The new Internet regulation give ministers the power to order the removal or blocking of an online publication to “defend the right to live, secure property, ensure national security and public order, prevent crime and protect public health.” The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) can enforce the request of the ministry, with a blanket ban of the offending website if deemed necessary, within a maximum of four hours. Accordingly, social media users who share content that has been subject to a legal complaint in Turkey will be punished. The incentive program announced by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in early January to encourage working women to have more children by giving them 300 Turkish Liras for a couple’s first child, 400 liras for the second, and 600 liras for the third, while also easing conditions for new mothers to return to their jobs after maternity leave, was also passed with the omnibus bill. While the bill opened new quotas for the appointment of teachers to schools, which is a long-time problem in Turkey, the quota for the Sports Ministry is being increased due to a reconstruction of the ministry. The bill also foresees monetary support for Turkish citizens who will marry before the age of 27 and have already raised a certain amount of money for this purpose. (Hürriyet Daily News)

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Turkey (Türkiye in Turkish) is located on Anatolia and Eastern Thrace in the southeast Europe. The official name of the country is the Republic of Turkey. As a transcontinental country, connecting Asia to Europe, Turkey neighbours Bulgaria to the northwest and Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and Azerbaijan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.

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