Turkiye protests: Iconic scenes and divided coverage

We unpack the Turkiye protests with voices from both sides of a split political and media landscape.

Turkiye is witnessing its largest protests in more than a decade.

Millions have taken to the streets after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu – who is seen as the biggest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency.

EU asks Turkey to respect protesters following arrests 1,000+ people

 

Protesters gathered outside the Istanbul city hall for a sixth day of protest on Monday evening, in defiance of a ban on rallies. They're angry about the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu - the mayor of Istanbul and a key political rival of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Demonstrators accuse the Turkish president of trying to remove a major opponent ahead of elections in 2028. Mr İmamoğlu was taken into custody pending trial on corruption charges.

Erdogan 'keen' on taking vision of 'increasingly hard-core autocracy' to another level

 After securing a strong new mandate in a runoff presidential election, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan could temper some positions that have irritated his NATO allies. But observers predicted that the country's longtime strongman leader is unlikely to depart from his policy of engaging with both Russia and the West

Erdoğan’s World - Turkey and its President | DW Documentary

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been in power for 20 years. Turkey has become increasingly autocratic under his rule, his critics are persecuted. We travel through Erdoğan’s Turkey, meeting both supporters and opponents of the head of state. The devastating earthquake on February 6 that killed around 45,000 people has damaged Erdoğan’s reputation. His government is accused of mismanaging the disaster and, above all, of allowing corruption in the construction sector. Thousands of homes were built by crooked developers who paid little attention to safety standards.

Turkey election: Who would benefit more from a runoff?

With counting nearly complete, both state media and the pro-opposition Anka news site say President Recep Tayip Erdogan has received just above 49 percent of the vote. His rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu is trailing with around 45 percent.

Will young voters' desire for change oust Erdogan?

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face off against three other candidates on Sunday in presidential and parliamentary elections. It's expected to be a tight race - but there's one group of voters who could prove decisive: and thats the under 25s. DW Correspondent Julia Hahn took to the streets in Istanbul to find out what kind of govenrment young people are hoping for.

How Turkish authorities prevented reporting from earthquake-affected areas

In Turkey, journalists trying to report on earthquake-affected areas have repeatedly been prevented from doing so by authorities. The organization Reporters Without Borders has documented numerous violations of press freedoms. DW’s correspondent Jack Parrock met a group of women in Brussels who say they’re working outside of mainstream Turkish news organizations, to help provide the public with a clearer picture of what’s actually happening on the ground.

Should the West be nervous about Turkey’s close ties with Russia?

 

Ankara and Moscow are shoring up their cooperation as Russia faces isolation and sanctions.

Russia and Turkey are reported to have agreed on the delivery of a second batch of S-400 missiles.

Turkey’s decision in 2017 to purchase the Russian air defence system was a sign of a deepening pragmatic – yet complicated – relationship between Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin.

Turkey: Erdoğan‘s political prisoners | DW Documentary

 

Accusations of terrorism. Arbitrary arrests. Detention. These traumatic experiences have been experienced by German citizens in Turkey time and again. How do these ordeals impact the lives of those affected?

Turkey rebrands as the economy continues to crumble

Turkey – or should we say Türkiye – has asked the United Nations to start using the Turkish pronunciation of its name in English communications. This country of 85 million seems to think it needs an image change, to one that has less to do with a funny bird, perhaps.

How does one rebrand an authoritarian government led by a dictator? Erdogan has closed down media outlets , arrested and imprisoned journalists, prosecuted members of opposition parties along with its poor human rights record. Forget the rebrand it won't change the image of the country or its rulers.

Turkey: Erdogan walks back threat to expel Western diplomats

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday backed down from a threat he made two days ago to eject 10 diplomats from Western countries after they voiced support for activist Osman Kavala.

Turkey & Erdogan 4 yrs. after the coup d'état attempt

The Gülen movement was once a pillar of the Erdogan regime in Turkey. But after the attempted coup in 2016, thousands of its members were arrested or forced to feel abroad. But the movement lives on despite official persecution. The influence of the Gülen movement within the Turkish state was huge and had President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's explicit approval. But now the Gulenists are "Public Enemy Number One." They reportedly have groups in 160 countries and run more than 1500 "educational institutions," healthcare facilities and media organizations. Critics see the Gülen movement as an shady Islamist organization with its sights on political power.

Turkey's Erdogan signs decree making Hagia Sophia a mosque

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signed a decree declaring Instanbul's world-famous Hagia Sophia will be reopened for Muslim worship. His declaration about his country's most popular tourist destination comes after Turkey's highest administrative court revoked its status as a museum - clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque.

How Hagia Sophia became Turkey’s latest political battleground

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to turn Istanbul's world-famous tourist site into a mosque. He is trying to score points with Turkish voters, but his plans have encountered considerable resistance.

Turkey: No country for bold journalists?

We speak to three Turkish journalists living in exile. Plus, a voice in Ankara's defence.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a rare press briefing for journalists in the country's media capital, Istanbul. In his opening remarks, Erdogan said that freedom of the press was of "vital importance" to him.

It was a statement that failed to square with the facts, let alone the numbers. Because for each of the last three years - ever since July of 2016, when an attempted coup failed to depose the president - Turkey has imprisoned more journalists than any other country.

For all of those jailed, however, the government has prosecuted a much longer list of media workers whose fates still hang in the balance. It's a state of limbo that has driven many of the accused into exile, to seek asylum abroad.

Media haven or hell? The paradox of journalism in Turkey

A look at two groups of exiled journalists: those on the run from Turkey, and others who have found a sanctuary there.

Turkey: No country for bold journalists?

Last month, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a rare press briefing for journalists in the country's media capital, Istanbul.

In his opening remarks, Erdogan said that freedom of the press was of "vital importance" to him.

It was a statement that failed to square with the facts, let alone the numbers. Because for each of the last three years -- since July of 2016, when an attempted coup failed to depose the president -- Turkey has imprisoned more journalists than any other country.

Turkey's elections: One nation, one media, one voice?

President Erdogan wins Turkey's vote with the media singing from the same hymn sheet. Plus, polarised media in DR Congo.

Turkey's elections and the media

When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his re-election victory speech last week, he spoke of "one nation, one flag, one state".

He could have taken it a step further and talked about one media and one voice - his own. Because that's the way the campaign was covered. The main state-owned TV channel, TRT, behaviour made it clear that it was, indeed, state-run, and privately owned broadcasters weren't much better.

Since coming to power in 2003, Erdogan has overseen a restructuring of the country's media space. Hundreds of journalists have been jailed. And hundreds of media outlets have been shut down, accused of terrorism.

Possible Coup In Turkey

From Sky News

LIVE Stream: Military Coup In Turkey Is Underway (7-15-16)



Unconfirmed reports of a military helicopter attacking police headquarters.

Watching Al Jazeera live and you can hear gunfire in Istanbul

Jets and helicopters fly overhead in Turkish capital of Ankara, as military closes two major bridges in Istanbul.

Turkey's military has officially declared a coup and said that it has "taken control of the country", shutting down major bridges and Istanbul's main airport.

The Dogan agency quoted the military on Friday as saying, that it wants "to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated."

The military statement went on to say that "all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue."

Turkey army group announces takeover on TV

An army group in Turkey says it has taken control of the country, with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over Ankara.

PM Binali Yildirim earlier denounced an "illegal action" by a military "group", stressing it was not a coup. He said that the government remained in charge.

Traffic has been stopped from crossing both the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.

There are reports of gunshots in the capital Ankara.

Other reports said soldiers were inside buildings of the Turkish state broadcaster in Ankara.

Gunfire was also heard outside Istanbul police HQ and tanks are said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport. All flights are cancelled, reports say.

President Erdogan has been accused of supporting ISIS by allowing foreign fighters to transit the country. The U.S. reached an agreement with the Erdogan government  for use of its base in the country to attacks ISIS strongholds in Syria and that Turkish military units would lend support. Instead the Turkish military attacked the Kurds in Southeast Turkey and Iraq.

Turkey Hoping To End Press Freedom

In an effort to ensure that freedom of the press comes is stop in its tracks the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan is proceeding with the prosecution of Can Dundar editor of the opposition newspaper  Cumhuriyet  for espionage because of documentary in produced on corruption.


 “Turkey has never been a paradise for journalists but of course not a hell like this,” he said in an interview in his office. “Nowadays being a journalist is much more dangerous than ever and needs courage and self-confidence.

“It’s a kind of witch-hunt ... like McCarthyism in the US in the 1950s.”

Turkish journalists say local media outlets are facing one of the worst crackdowns on press freedoms since military rule in the 1980s. Prosecutors have opened close to 2,000 cases of insults to the president since Erdoğan took office in 2014, prominent journalists appear in court two or three times a week, Kurdish journalists are beaten or detained in the country’s restive south-east and foreign journalists have been harassed or deported.

Turkey ranks 151st among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.

Turkey's closed-doors trial of journalists condemned as 'a travesty of justice' (video)

Turkey's government has decided that the media in opposition to its policies must be intimidated and pressured into compliance. Dissent is unacceptable so the government has closed down or taken control of television stations and newspapers the government views as dangerous to the state. Anywhere else they would simply be viewed as being critical of government.


The trial of two prominent Turkish newspaper journalists accused of espionage will take place behind closed doors after a court decision described by critics as “a travesty of justice”.

Can Dundar, editor of Cumhuriyet, and Erdem Gul, the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief, face life in prison for a front-page story claiming that Turkish intelligence services were helping to send weapons to Syria.

Their trial, which began on Friday, is being held up as a test case on the health of the country’s democracy amid warnings that accountability, freedom of expression and the rule of law are all under attack.