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Turkey prime minister to meet with protesters

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:30:00 +0000

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Police and protesters retrenched Wednesday after punishing overnight clashes in Istanbul's Taksim Square — an uncertain hiatus before officials were to hold talks aimed to end Turkey's biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Nearly two weeks of protests across the nation have shaped up as perhaps the biggest test in the 10-year rule of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who protesters say is increasingly authoritarian, a charge that he and his allies strongly deny.

President Abdullah Gul, seen by many as a more moderate voice, said the government could not tolerate more of the unrest that has disrupted daily life for nearly two weeks, but authorities would listen to protesters' grievances.

"I am hopeful that we will surmount this through democratic maturity," Gul told reporters. "If they have objections, we need to hear them, enter into a dialogue. It is our duty to lend them an ear."

It was unclear exactly who would be taking part in the meeting scheduled for 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) at Erdogan's office in Ankara, and whether the meeting will have an impact in brokering an end to the protests.

Turkish police renew sweep through Taksim Square

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:42:00 +0000

ISTANBUL (AP) — Riot police are re-entering Istanbul's Taksim Square after defiant protesters swarmed back in by the thousands.

Massive plumes of tear gas billowed upward, and police fired water cannons Tuesday night.

It was the latest sign that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has run out of patience after 12 days of unrest in Turkey's largest city and beyond.

Several people were being placed into ambulances during the latest clashes, which have trained an international spotlight on Turkey's democracy.

The protests have swelled from a peaceful demonstration first aimed to stop developers from cutting down trees in a park into nationwide disturbances.

Turkey’s prime minister calls for end to protests

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:08:00 +0000

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's prime minister took a combative stance on his closely watched return to the country early Friday, telling supporters who thronged to greet him that the protests that have swept the country must come to an end.

In the first extensive public show of support since anti-government protests erupted last week, more than 10,000 supporters cheered Recep Tayyip Erdogan with rapturous applause outside Istanbul's international airport.

Despite earlier comments that suggested he could be softening his stand, Erdogan delivered a fiery speech on his return from a four-day trip to North Africa. "These protests that are bordering on illegality must come to an end as of now," he said.

Tens of thousands of protesters have held demonstrations that have spread to dozens of cities across Turkey, sparked by the violent police reaction last Friday to what started out as a small protest against a plan to develop Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

Since then, three people have died — two protesters and a policeman — and thousands have been wounded. One protester is on life support in a hospital in Ankara.

Police officer dies in Turkey protest

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:11:00 +0000

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A police officer died after falling into an underpass while trying to subdue a protest in southern Turkey, a regional governor said Thursday, bringing the death toll in a week of protests to three.

Gov. Huseyin Avni Cos said the officer died in a hospital Thursday after falling into the underpass that was still under construction in Adana, on the Mediterranean coast, the previous night. He was trying to break up protests there.

Two protesters have been reported killed in protests that have erupted in some 70 cities, and one person is on life support in a hospital in Ankara. The Turkish Human Rights Foundation said some 4,300 people were hurt or sought medical care for the effects of tear gas.

The government says dozens of police officers have been injured.

The protests were sparked by the police breakup of a sit-in to prevent the demolition of a park in central Istanbul, but it spiraled into rallies by thousands denouncing what they say is the government's increasingly authoritarian form of governing and its meddling in lifestyles. They are also angered at what human rights groups have said is excessive use of force to disperse the protests.

Man killed during protests in Turkey

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:25:00 +0000

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A 22-year-old man died during an anti-government protest in a city near the border with Syria and officials gave conflicting reports on what caused his death, as hundreds of riot police backed by water cannons deployed around the prime minister's office in the capital Tuesday.

Thousands have joined anti-government rallies across Turkey since Friday, when police launched a pre-dawn raid against a peaceful sit-in protesting plans to uproot trees in Istanbul's main Taksim Square. Since then, the demonstrations by mostly secular-minded Turks have spiraled into Turkey's biggest anti-government disturbances in years, and have spread to many of the biggest cities.

The Hatay province governor's office said the man, Abdullah Comert, died in a hospital after he was shot Monday during a demonstration in the city of Antakya. It suggested, however, that he may have been shot by demonstrators trying to inflame tensions, saying police had been fired on during the protest.

But the province's chief prosecutor said that an autopsy showed Comert received a blow to the head and there was no trace of a gunshot wound. It said authorities had launched an investigation into the death.

Explosion in Turkey kills 25

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:30:00 +0000

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An explosion and blaze triggered by an accidentally dropped hand grenade has killed 25 soldiers during a stock check at a Turkish ammunition depot, the government said Thursday.

Four other soldiers were injured in the blast, which lit up the night sky late Wednesday with flames, and shattered windows in homes in the nearby town of Afyonkarahisar in western Turkey, terrifying residents.

Forestry and Water Minister Veysel Eroglu ruled out terrorism and sabotage, saying the blast occurred in a section where hand grenades were kept. The soldiers' remains were discovered early Thursday after a subsequent blaze was extinguished.

"One hand grenade was dropped during stock-taking and sorting, causing a large explosion," Eroglu said. "There was no external intervention. There certainly was no sabotage or anything like that."

Syrian refugees stuck at Turkish border

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 14:00:00 +0000

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Some 10,000 Syrian refugees are waiting on the Syrian side of the border as Turkey rushes to build more camps to accommodate the influx and carries out more stringent security checks on the newcomers, Turkish officials said Monday.

The developments underscore the growing toll Syria's civil war is having on neighboring countries, several of which have seen a massive flow of Syrians trying to escape the conflict which activists estimate has killed more than 20,000 people since March of last year.

Turkey has so far taken in more than 80,000 Syrians, and all nine Turkish refugee camps along the border are full. Until recently, newcomers were being housed in schools, dormitories or sports centers near the border while Turkish authorities scamper to construct four new camps that will increase Turkey's capacity to 100,000 refugees.

The refugees still stuck on the Syrian side will be allowed in "within a day or two" when a new camp near the border becomes operational, a Turkish official said, adding that Turkey's Red Crescent organization was providing emergency aid to the refugees as they wait to cross into Turkey.

International pressure on Syria grows

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Syrian President Bashar Assad came under a new barrage of international pressure Tuesday with the Turkish foreign minister urging him to stop killing protesters and U.S. officials saying the Obama administration is preparing to explicitly demand his departure.

Even as Assad held more than six hours of talks with the visiting Turkish minister, his military unleashed fresh attacks on restive areas, attacks that activists said killed more than 20 people.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he met the Syrian leader for more than six hours in the capital Damascus and discussed "concrete steps" to end the violent crackdown on protesters. Rights groups say about 1,700 people have been killed since March. An aggressive new military offensive that began with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan a week ago has killed several hundred.

Speaking to reporters on his return to Turkey, Davutoglu said the talks were cordial but did not say what specific steps they had discussed or whether Assad had agreed to consider them.

Turkey considers chemical castration for rapists

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Turkey's ruling party has proposed legalizing chemical castration as punishment for repeat rapists or pedophiles in a wide-ranging overhaul of sex abuse laws, according to a draft seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

The controversial proposal is part of a government-backed bill that foresees increased prison terms for sex offenses, especially against children. It was submitted to parliament on Wednesday but it was not known when it would reach the floor for debate.

The bill would require testosterone-supressing drugs for "habitual and persistent" sex offenders and make the procedure a condition for probation for others. Sex offenders would also be submitted to behavioral therapy.

It also would almost double maximum prison terms served for sex offenses to 10 years. Convicted pedophiles would serve up to 18 years in prison while sexual abuse of children by parents, stepparents, siblings or guardians would be punishable by 27 years.

Alev Dedegil, a senior legislator from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, defended the procedure that reduces the male sex drive.

"We have embarked on a struggle against a very serious and important crime," she told reporters.

Report: Kurdish rebels vow to fight on

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:40:00 +0000

A Kurdish rebel commander threatened more attacks on Turkish targets on Wednesday, saying the guerrilla group would keep fighting until its demands for greater rights and autonomy are met, a pro-Kurdish news agency reported.

Kurdish rebels have escalated attacks throughout Turkey in recent weeks, saying Turkey has rejected calls for a dialogue. On Tuesday, a remote-controlled bomb attack on a bus carrying military personnel and their families, killed four soldiers and an officer's 17-year-old daughter. The deaths brought the number of soldiers killed in Turkey since Friday to 17.

A Kurdish militant group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, which is linked to the rebels, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The agency Firat News quoted Cemil Bayik, a top commander of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as saying: "It is not possible to end this struggle unless the Kurdish problem is solved... It is not possible to repress the guerrillas' capacity for action."

"Our movement's political strength and strength to launch attacks will continue as long as the Kurdish people's demands for freedoms continue to exist," Bayik, who is believed to be in northern Iraq, was quoted as saying.

Ties with Israel may outlast Turkish anger at raid

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship has ignited unprecedented anger in Turkey and driven the Jewish state's relations with its most important Muslim ally to their lowest point in six decades.

There are signs, however, that the countries' long-term strategic alliance and military ties will endure.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan furiously told parliament Tuesday that the "bloody massacre" of at least four Turkish activists among nine passengers slain by Israeli naval commandos was a turning point in the long-standing alliance.

"Nothing will be the same again," Erdogan said, gesturing angrily, his voice shaking at times.

Thousands of Turks staged protests across the country and pockets of demonstrators shouted "down with Israel!" on streets near the Israeli ambassador's well-protected residence -- an unusual sight in one of the capital's most affluent districts.

Pro-Islamic daily Yeni Safak newspaper described the Israeli troops as "The children of Hitler," in a banner headline.

But other officials were delivering messages of restraint and Turkey said it was not canceling plans to accept $183 million (euro150.56 million) worth of Israeli drone planes this summer.