What is not silly is the coverage on Turkey seems to vary depending whether or not they are on board with the particular USraeli policy at a given time.
"Armenian-Americans want the US government to acknowledge that the deaths of their ancestors constituted a genocide, a term used to describe violence intended to destroy an entire group based on ethnicity, race, or religion."
Yes, it might even be considered a Holocaust™.
"US, Turkey still not in agreement on Syria" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press November 22, 2014
ISTANBUL — Vice President Joe Biden on Friday became the latest in a parade of US officials trying to push Turkey to step up its role in the international coalition’s fight against Islamic State extremists.
His visit follows weeks of public bickering between the two NATO allies. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey insists that if the United States wants his help, it must focus less on fighting militants and more on toppling Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Oh, it's the old kill two birds with one stone, false polemic of an argument.
Yeah, Turkey is on thin ISIS, right.
Erdogan wants the US-led coalition to set up a security zone in northern Syria to give moderate fighters a place to recoup and launch attacks.
As opposed to hosting them on Turkish territory and facilitating them into Syria because that is the great unspoken here.
The United States has no desire to go to war against Assad and has said a no-fly zone against Syria’s air force is a no-go.
Translation: an outright invasion is no longer tenable for several reasons, the most of which would be public objection en masse; thus, the covert method via ISIS and Al-Nusra (CIA-Duh affiliate).
Turkey has pledged to train and equip moderate Syrian forces on its soil, but no details have been announced by either side.
They have been for years!
US and Turkish officials have discussed the coalition’s desire to use Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base for US-led operations against Islamic militants, but Turkey has made no public decision about Incirlik.
Oh, that's the sticking point: denial of the airbase for the Empire's use.
‘‘From the no-fly zone to the safety zone and training and equipping — all these steps have to be taken now,’’ Erdogan said Wednesday. ‘‘The coalition forces have not taken those steps we asked them for.’’
That’s after a US military delegation spent two days in Ankara last week trying to agree on details to implement Turkey’s pledge to train and equip moderate fighters and after top US military officials visited Incirlik. It follows two visits in two months by retired Marine General John Allen, US envoy for the coalition.
Allen told the Turkish daily Milliyet in Ankara that fighting extremists in Iraq was the ‘‘main effort’’ right now but it’s not the only effort and ‘‘we’ll be doing that in Syria as well.’’
‘‘Eventually, of course, our policy intent for the United States is that there be a political outcome in Syria that does not include Bashar Assad,’’ he said.
It's been the cornerstone of policy for some time.
Now it is Biden’s turn.
The next president (doubtful)?
He was having a dinner Friday with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and a meeting Saturday with Erdogan before flying back to Washington on Sunday.
Despite the tension between nations, both Biden and Davutoglu greeted reporters with smiles at the prime minister’s working residence in Istanbul.
And they wonder why we don't take a damn thing coming from them seriously?
Biden said the two had known each other — and have been friends — for a long time and can be direct with one another. ‘‘Friends don’t let friends wonder about what they’re thinking,’’ Biden said.
Someone got your keys, Joe? (Sigh)
Davutoglu called the United States a strategic ally and called the two nations’ relationship ‘‘deep rooted.’’ Biden’s visit offered a chance to have a broader discussion on the issues before them, he said.
The obvious compromise would be if Washington shifted its policy on Syria to do more to force out Assad, and Turkey agreed to do more against Islamic State, said James Jeffrey, former US envoy to Turkey and Iraq who is now at Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Who is the newspaper turning to for expert advice on the foreign affairs front, and what did I note up top as I got started on this?
But Jeffrey is not holding his breath.
Neither am I (sigh). They are already collaborating on policy here, and this is show.
‘‘Erdogan is a tough customer to reason with, but Turkey is already a major source of stability and support in the region and could be better if we play cards right,’’ Jeffrey said.
Yeah, and thus the U.S. and its mouthpiece media will ignore the human rights abuses and such (not that it has a leg to stand on to criticize. Torture, you know), but if needed those will be raised by the papers!
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"Biden, Turkey’s leader quiet on result of talks; No word on deal to battle Islmaic State extremists" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press November 23, 2014
Even they screw up typing, huh?
ISTANBUL — Vice President Joe Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey emerged from a nearly four-hour meeting Saturday, offering no indication that the United States and Turkey had bridged their differences about how to deal with Islamic State fighters or Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Biden announced $135 million in new US aid for Syrian civilians, including some for Turkey, which is hosting 1.6 million refugees, but the two leaders did not offer details about how they were working together to step up Ankara’s role in the international coalition’s fight against Islamic State extremists in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Okay, first thing is all these refugees have been created by the covert overthrow attempt at a legitimately-elected government in Syria (remember that? Assad won elections, and the propaganda pre$$ conveniently omits that fact). Second, that means they are all Obama's refugees (like in Libya); however, the people paying the price are the austerity-strapped -- nay, tyranny-strapped -- American people. Outrageous.
The setting to achieve common ground on their separate strategies for Syria could not have been better: Erdogan’s elegant residence in Istanbul, overlooking the Bosphorus Bridge that connects Europe and Asia. But if they made any deals, they did it privately.
Erdogan another out-of-touch elite.
In statements to reporters after the meeting, each lauded the six-decade relationship between the two NATO allies.
But there was no mention of Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base, which the United States wants to use to launch strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
I'll be looking to see if the planes are flying.
Biden only briefly mentioned Turkey’s plans to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, but no details were disclosed. Neither mentioned Turkey’s call for a no-fly zone, or safe zone, in northern Syria, where Western-backed opposition fighters would be safe from Assad’s air force.
Biden said the two spoke at considerable detail about Iraq and Syria, and that he believes the US-Turkey relationship is ‘‘as strong as it has ever been.’’
‘‘We need Turkey, and I think that Turkey believes that it needs us as well,’’ he said.
To lose the first one would be disastrous for US war planners, and pray God that second one is the exception to the rule of delusion.
Erdogan said he and Biden talked about Iraq, Syria, and other global issues, and that they plan to continue to hold such discussions.
‘‘We gladly saw that we have the same opinion with the United States on most of the issues we discussed. We confirmed our decision to improve our cooperation. Most importantly, as being two NATO allies, we confirmed once more our commitment to each other’s defense and security,’’ said Erdogan.
A senior administration official said the meeting was not void of progress and that both leaders achieved better clarity about the needs of both countries.
The official said the United States and Turkey agree that Islamic State needs to be defeated, that moderate Syrian forces need to be trained, including at one base in Turkey, and that a political transition is needed in Syria that does not include Assad. The official was not authorized to publicly disclose details of the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.
So all this disagreement is cover for nothing of the sort? Or is this the phony face of smiles for my reporter here?
Biden said the new aid money will raise the amount of assistance the United States has provided to more than $3 billion since Syria’s crisis began.
There is always plenty of money for war while health care costs need to be controlled (nice euphemism for cuts), food stamps reduced, and unemployment payments allowed to lapse (good for the numbers, no longer count you).
The new funds will help feed vulnerable people inside Syria; Syrian refugees in Turkey; and Syrian refugees in other neighboring countries. More than 190,000 Syrians from Kobani, a Syrian town near the border, fled to Turkey in recent weeks.
While vulnerable people in AmeriKa hunger and starve, and what other countries?
Related:
Islamic State group attacks Kobani from Turkey
Well, that's where they ARE being trained.
Kurdish fighters capture key area in northern Syrian town
We will get to the Kurds below.
Kurdish defenders force Islamic State from Kobani
I'm really convinced by the photo, aren't you?
Meanwhile, about 300 people protested Biden’s visit to Turkey, chanting: ‘‘Biden get out. This country is ours.’’ The demonstration occurred on the European side of Istanbul, as Biden was on his way to a meeting with Erdogan on the Asian side of the city.
Biden did not see the protest, which was organized by the Youth Association of Turkey, the same group that roughed up three US Navy sailors while chanting ‘‘Yankee, go home!’’ a week ago in Istanbul.
The protesters threw red paint at the sailors and briefly put sacks over their heads. The sailors, who were not hurt, were from the USS Ross, a guided-missile destroyer then docked on an inlet of the Bosphorus Strait in the Black Sea.
They look like agent provocateurs of some sort to me, but i'm sure the U.S. could not have liked that. The propaganda pre$$ saw fit to mention it.
--more--"
Related: Erdogan says women are not equal to men
See who is winking his agreement?
Looks like Joe has some repair work to do:
"Turkey, Iraq make cautious move to repair relationship amid crisis" by Tim Arango, New York Times November 21, 2014
BAGHDAD — When the Turkish prime minister’s motorcade traveled along the airport road Thursday morning to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, once a terrifying journey with the constant threat of snipers and car bombs, the vehicles passed by palm trees, manicured lawns, and a fountain — the landscaping work of a Turkish company.
Elsewhere in the Iraqi capital, from shopping malls to fancy hotels to the shelves of grocery stores, the influence of Turkish business is ample, underscoring an economic relationship between Turkey and Iraq that has flourished even as the diplomatic relationship has soured in recent years.
Then it really is all diplomatic dog(shit)ma.
Now, with the new Iraqi government struggling to keep the country together under attack from Islamic State militants, and with Turkey dialing back its ambitions of leading a Sunni political axis that would reshape the region, the two countries are trying to come together amid mutual suspicion.
Oooooh, an AXIS!
The visit by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the first from a Turkish prime minister in nearly four years, was a vivid example of a scramble taking place all across the Middle East, as former adversaries are seeking to mend relationships, or at least try to work together, at a time of unprecedented crisis.
Governments using the ISIS crisis as an excuse to crush dissent and control rebellion?
Turkey, chastened by the failures of its Middle East policy and facing rising pressure from the United States and other allies to do more in the campaign against the Islamic State, has been reaching out to the Shi’ite governments of Iraq and Iran.
Woa!!!!!
Iraq, too, is moving to boost relations with anyone it can, prompting a burst of diplomatic outreach recently, nudged by the Americans, to Sunni Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait in an attempt to find as many partners as it can in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
WHAT?
Davutoglu’s visit came nearly three months after the replacement of the former Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who had a poor relationship with Turkey.
The U.S. didn't like him either, and after he won the vote they created ISIS to evict him.
Turkish officials accused Maliki of alienating Sunni Muslims, a minority in Iraq, while Maliki was aggrieved over Turkey’s support of Sunni opposition lawmakers within Iraq.
In a joint news conference with Iraq’s new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, Davutoglu referred to the broken relationship of recent years.
“We want, through this visit, to turn the page of the past and improve the relationship with Iraq,” he said.
The leaders said they agreed on modest cooperation against Islamic State, such as intelligence-sharing and, perhaps, some military cooperation.
“Iraq today is facing the dangers of terrorism, and needs support from the world to face terrorism,” Abadi said.
And to help get rid of Assad, right?
--more--"
"Iraq seeks Turkish support in fight against ISIS" by Suzan Fraser, Associated Press December 26, 2014
ANKARA, Turkey — Iraq and Turkey on Thursday discussed cooperation in countering the threat posed by the Islamic State group, including an Iraqi request for intelligence sharing and the possible delivery of Turkish arms to Iraqi forces, Iraq’s prime minister said.
Cha-ching!!
Haider al-Abadi told reporters during a visit to the Turkish capital that he had provided ‘‘lists’’ of things Iraq was requesting from Turkey that included military cooperation, training and delivering weapons to fighters.
The Islamic State “is not only a threat to Iraq and Turkey, but is it a threat to the whole region. Therefore, there is a need for cooperation. That’s what we expect of Turkey,’’ Abadi said.
‘‘Whether it is military, intelligence sharing, training, or even arms — these were talked about,’’ Abadi said.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to provide Iraq the assistance it needed but didn’t elaborate. He said the countries’ defense ministries were holding discussions.
‘‘On the issue of support, we are ready to provide training. . . . We have provided support to the Peshmerga forces that are battling Daesh in northern Iraq,’’ Davutoglu said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. ‘‘We are open to all kinds of opinions concerning the support to be provided.’’
Turkey has declared it is willing to train and equip forces fighting the Islamic State and has also allowed about 150 Peshmerga fighters to cross into Syria from its territory, but has been reluctant to provide greater support to the US-led coalition. Turkey insists that the coalition must also aim to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom it regards as the source of the crisis in Syria.
Abadi said the campaign against the Islamic State had been successful in weakening the group and driving it out of some regions but said the militants continued to pose a threat.
Blah, blah, blah, narrative.
Turkey has been accused of facilitating the transit of militants through its territory into Syria — a charge the country strongly denies.
Davutoglu said Turkey opposes the presence of all foreign fighters both in Syria and in Iraq.
This really is getting silly!!
On Wednesday, a Kurdish rebel commander warned that fighting in Turkey’s southeast could resume by June if efforts to end a 30-year insurgency make no progress by then, according to news reports.
Ah-huh.
Murat Karayilan’s comments came days after Turkish and Kurdish officials declared a ‘‘new phase’’ in the peace process after widespread protests by Kurds in October had threatened to derail the talks.
Okay, this is a very sensitive and convoluted area that doesn't get much coverage from the propaganda pre$$ (vague stuff when it does); however, the Kurdish area has been a CIA and Mossad outpost for decades. Kurds collaborate and are used against Iran and to destabilize host country governments. The flip side is that the Kurds are fiercely independent when it comes to their interests, and have certainly felt the wrath of abandonment from the same intelligence agencies and their governments.
Karayilan told Iraq-based Roj News that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan would be freed from prison by April and would attend a congress of his Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, if the talks progress according to a plan drawn up by Ocalan himself.
However, Karayilan threatened to resume hostilities before Turkey’s June elections if the government fails to advance the peace process by then. His comments were carried by Turkish and Kurdish media on Wednesday.
Turkish Deputy Prime Yalcin Akdogan responded, slamming Karayilan’s comments as ‘‘unreal, untimely, inopportune, and provocative.’’ Turkey began talking to Ocalan in 2012 with the aim of ending the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since 1984.
Something the Turks seem to do with regularity and not much uproar.
--more--"
This next item not so silly, and it may account for some of the bad pre$$:
"Putin says Russia will scrap European gas pipeline" by Suzan Fraser, Associated Press December 02, 2014
ANKARA, Turkey — Amid spiraling tensions with the West, President Vladimir Putin of Russia revealed Monday that Moscow is halting a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline project for southern Europe and will focus instead on boosting its energy ties with Turkey.
Uh-oh!
Moscow will increase gas supplies to Turkey across the existing pipeline and later could build a new link and possibly work with Turkey on creating a gas hub on the border with Greece, Putin said.
He argued that the EU’s opposition to the South Stream pipeline, which would have run under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further on to southern Europe, meant Russia had no other choice but to scrap it.
The announcement is part of the Kremlin’s efforts to forge new alliances as its relations with the West have plummeted to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis.
And they are doing pretty good, too!
It reflects the narrowing room for maneuver for Russia, which previously had competed with Turkey for the role of a key energy conduit to the lucrative European markets.
They are expanding contacts and yet narrowing their..... arrrrrggggghhhh!
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey hailed ties with Russia but was tight-lipped on the prospect of creating the energy hub proposed by Putin, signaling that tough bargaining lies ahead.
He doesn't want to piss off you-know-who.
Despite frosty relations now with the European Union, Putin still wants to expand Russia’s gas exports to the EU markets, bypassing Ukraine, and he is also keen to demonstrate that Moscow can find new partners despite Western efforts to isolate it.
They are!
Erdogan, in turn, sees ties with Russia as an important tool to raise Turkey’s global leverage and boost its economy.
Funny how economy matters so much, huh?
Reflecting a shared interest in expanding ties, both leaders sought to downplay the differences, such as their conflicting views on the Syrian crisis. Russia supports President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported rebels attempting to overthrow him.
Did they smile for reporters?
‘‘Turkey and Russia don’t share the same views on many issues, in particular on Syria . . . [but] Turkey will continue to purchase energy from Russia,’’ said Professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.
Putin’s move to try to build an energy alliance with Turkey reflects Moscow’s precarious position regarding the South Stream. Russia’s state-controlled natural gas giant, Gazprom, already has invested nearly $5 billion in building the pipeline on Russian territory, about half of its projected cost.
Of course, when the U.S. makes moves to do such things they are trumpeted as successes in my propaganda paper.
Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said that his company signed a memorandum on building a new Turkey-bound pipeline under the Black Sea, which would be capable of pumping about 63 billion cubic meters to Turkey, the same capacity as the South Stream.
If Erdogan accepts the Russian offer of forming an energy alliance, it would mark a sharp policy change for Turkey, which so far has served as a major transit route for oil and gas resources from the Caspian and Central region to the west, bypassing Russia.
Turkey not in on NATO sanctions over Ukraine?
The United States and the European Union have strongly backed energy exports via Turkey as a way of reducing the continent’s dependence on Russia’s energy resources.
Looks like Russia got them by the barrels, 'er, pipeline(?)
Putin added a sweetener, saying that Russia will offer a 6 percent price discount for its gas supplies to Turkey starting next year and could offer an even better deal if the two countries reach an agreement on deeper energy cooperation.
How can they say no?
Turkey already is a major importer of Russian gas, coming second only to Germany. In addition to gas, Russia will invest $20 billion in a contract to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.
Turkey, a NATO member that is vying for European Union membership, also has been keen to increase food and other exports to Russia, which has banned most Western food imports in retaliation for the US and the EU economic sanctions.
I'll bet no one is D.C. or Brussels is laughing.
Turkish construction firms are active in Russia; millions of Russian tourists travel to Turkey each year.
A very $ymbiotic relation$hip.
The two countries, who are major trading partners, reaffirmed their determination to increase their two-way trade volume from $33 billion to $100 billion by the 2020s.
--more--"
Let the rotten pre$$ begin:
"Journalists, police are detained in Turkish raids" Associated Press December 15, 2014
ANKARA, Turkey — Police conducted raids in a dozen Turkish cities Sunday, detaining at least 24 people — including journalists, TV producers, and police — known to be close to a movement led by a US-based Islamic cleric who is a strong critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
There will be no U.S. coup there!!
It was the latest crackdown on cleric Fethullah Gulen’s movement, which the government has accused of orchestrating a plot to try to bring it down. The government says the group’s followers were behind corruption allegations last year that forced four Cabinet ministers to resign.
Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, denies the accusations.
He reeks of CIA!
During a speech Saturday, Erdogan vowed to ‘‘bring down the network of treachery and make it pay.’’
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, commissioner for European enlargement negotiations, said the raids ‘‘are incompatible with the freedom of media, which is a core principle of democracy.’’ They suggested the issue could reflect on Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.
This as the authorities in Europe begin to shut down free speech over fake false flags.
In Washington, the State Department issued a statement of concern. ‘‘As Turkey’s friend and ally, we urge the Turkish authorities to ensure their actions do not violate these core values and Turkey’s own democratic foundations,’’ it said.
Another giveaway.
--more--"
"Turkey dismisses EU criticism of police raids" Associated Press December 16, 2014
ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the European Union’s criticism Monday of police raids on media organizations, telling the 28-member bloc to ‘‘keep your opinions to yourselves.’’
The EU has criticized Sunday’s police raids, which targeted a newspaper and a television station affiliated with the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a fierce critic of Erdogan’s.
Erdogan has accused Gulen’s followers within the police and judiciary of being behind corruption allegations that rattled his government.
More than two dozen people, including a chief editor, journalists, television producers, and scriptwriters, were detained in Sunday’s raids on suspicion of ‘‘using intimidation and threats’’ to try to take control of state power. The targets included the Istanbul headquarters of Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Monday that seven of the suspects were released after questioning.
He said everyone who was taken into custody will be questioned for their alleged involvement in false accusations and fabricated evidence that led to a police crackdown on a rival Islamic group on charges of Al Qaeda links in 2010.
I knew they would be brought into this at some point.
--more--"
"Turkish teen freed following outcry" Associated Press December 27, 2014
ANKARA, Turkey — A high school student who was jailed for allegedly insulting Turkey’s leader was released from custody on Friday after his arrest caused an uproar and intensified fears that Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is lurching toward more authoritarian rule.
Gee, he makes a deal with Russia and all of a sudden he's a bad guy.
The 16-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly calling Erdogan a thief, a day after he took part in a small left-wing student rally.
Did he throw paint?
It is a crime in Turkey to insult the president, and others have been arrested on such charges before, but it was the first time a minor has been detained.
--more--"
What could be worse?
"Protesters march near university of murdered Turkish woman" Associated Press February 19, 2015
ISTANBUL — About 15,000 people marched in a southern Turkish city Wednesday in remembrance of a student whose murder, after an attempted rape last week, has galvanized public outrage about violence against women.
Twenty-year-old Ozgecan Aslan’s body was found Friday burned in a river bed. She was last seen two days earlier on a minibus in Mersin, where the demonstrators gathered Wednesday.
Hmmmmmm.
Turkish media have reported that the minibus driver confessed he killed her and mutilated her body. He was arrested along with his father and another man.
The case has led to demonstrations, an outpouring of anger on social media, and allegations that the ruling Justice and Development Party has not done enough to protect women.
This is a horrible and criminal act; however, when one considers the pri$m through which I'm reading and all its agenda-pushing quality, it looks like something else. Cited $ocial media in this situation feels like an orchestrated campaign using the woman card.
The protesters marched near Cag University in Mersin, where Aslan was a psychology student. According to Turkey’s private DHA news agency, they carried banners that said ‘‘Rape is a crime against humanity,’’ “Did you hear Özge’s scream?’’ Others read ‘‘We are not mourning but revolting.’’
--more--"
Yeah, yeah, we here ya.
"Brawl in Turkey parliament puts focus on Erdogan power plays" by Suzan Fraser and Desmond Butler, Associated Press February 19, 2015
ANKARA, Turkey — Chairs flew and lawmakers traded punches.
Now that is partisan, not the $hit-$how fooley of AmeriKan politics.
A brawl in Parliament over a new security bill has forced the spotlight on mounting suspicions that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s real goal is to hand himself more tools to crush dissent.
He's like all leaders, and yet again I can only point to the focus of my pri$m to be my guide.
Five lawmakers were injured early Wednesday in a fight that broke out as opposition leaders tried to delay a debate on the legislation.
The government says the measures to give police heightened powers to break up demonstrations are aimed at preventing violence such as the deadly clashes that broke out last year among Kurds, supporters of an Islamist group, and police. Critics say that the new measures are part of a steady march toward blocking mass demonstrations that threaten Erdogan’s iron grip on Turkish politics.
The bill would expand police rights to use firearms and allow them to search people or vehicles without a court order and detain people for up to 48 hours without prosecutor authorization. Police would also be permitted to use firearms against demonstrators who hurl Molotov cocktails.
Crucially, the measures would give governors — not just prosecutors and judges — the right to order arrests.
In defending the bill, Erdogan said it was ‘‘aimed at protecting social order and social peace.’’
Oh, tyranny is always promoted as being in the best interests of the people. I assume the same is true in Turkey?
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu dismissed accusations that the measures will violate civil liberties, saying the goal is to protect society.
Metin Feyzioglu, the head of the Turkish Bar Association, said that giving local governors even limited powers to order arrests without a court order is tantamount to martial law.
‘‘This is an extremely dangerous development,’’ he said.
In recent years, Turkey has curbed media freedoms, cracked down on critical social media postings, and prosecuted hundreds of people who took part in violent mass protests against the government in 2013.
U.S. surprisingly mute all this time, and Biden didn't say a word!
In one case, Turkish prosecutors are seeking possible jail time for a former television presenter who posted a tweet suggesting a coverup in a government corruption scandal.
Turkey must have a rotten economy then.
A Turkish schoolboy was also charged for publicly criticizing Erdogan over the scandal — falling afoul of a law against insulting the president.
‘‘Erdogan is aware that he is not going to be able to achieve his goals through purely democratic means,’’ said Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based analyst with the Institute for Security and Development Policy. ‘‘If you are trying to stop people from expressing their opinions, it is a sign that you are not accountable.’’
All you governments out there see that?
--more--"
Gee, the Turks are real savages, huh?
You know what would help?
A change in government initiated by the ever-benevolent, always-altruistic U.S. government.
Whadda ya think?
