Tag: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Tourists Flee as Wildfires Threaten Turkish Beach Resorts

ISTANBUL, Turkey—Wildfires raged Sunday near Turkey’s holiday beach destinations of Antalya and Mugla as the discovery of more bodies caused the death toll to rise to eight. Residents and tourists fled the danger in small boats while the coast guard and two navy ships waited out at sea in case a bigger evacuation was needed….


Turkey Evacuates Panicked Tourists by Boat From Wildfires

ISTANBUL—Panicked tourists in Turkey hurried to the seashore to wait for rescue boats Saturday after being told to evacuate some hotels in the Aegean resort of Bodrum due to the dangers posed by nearby wildfires, Turkish media reported. Coast guard units were leading the operation and authorities asked private boats and yachts to assist in…


Exiled Turkish Journalist Attacked Outside Home in Germany

ANKARA, Turkey—A Turkish journalist, who is critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and has been living in exile in Germany, was injured after being attacked outside his home by three men who reportedly warned him to stop writing. Erk Acarer, a columnist for Turkey’s independent Birgun newspaper, said in a video posted on Twitter…


Turkish Agents Capture Nephew of US-Based Cleric Overseas

ANKARA—Turkish agents have captured a nephew of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen in an overseas operation and have brought him to Turkey where he faces prosecution, Turkey’s state-run news agency said Monday. Selahaddin Gulen, who was wanted in Turkey on charges of membership in a terror organization, was seized in an operation by Turkey’s national…


Biden Recognizes Atrocities Against Armenians as Genocide

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden has formally recognized that the systematic killings and deportations of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Empire forces in the early 20th century were “genocide”—using a term for the atrocities that his White House predecessors have avoided for decades. With the acknowledgment, Biden followed through on a campaign promise he made…


Biden Speaks to Erdogan as Armenian Genocide Question Looms

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden spoke with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday as Biden prepared to move forward with a campaign pledge to formally recognize that atrocities committed against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire more than a century ago were genocide. The U.S. and Turkish governments, in separate statements on the call, made…


Turkish Parliament Passes Associations Oversight Law That Critics Say Will Stifle NGOs

ANKARA—Turkey’s parliament passed a law on Sunday that would ramp up oversight of foundations and associations and, according to rights groups including Amnesty International, risks limiting the freedoms of civil society organisations. The law allows the interior minister to replace members of organisations who are being investigated for terrorism charges, while the interior ministry can…


Turkish Parliament Approves Law That Critics Say Will Stifle NGOs

ANKARA, Turkey—Turkey’s parliament has passed a law that would ramp up oversight of foundations and associations. and risks limiting the freedoms of civil society organizations, according to rights groups including Amnesty International. The law allows the interior minister to replace members of organizations who are being investigated for terrorism charges, while the interior ministry can…