Media in Turkey
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Photography: Ara Güler retrospective
The man who photographed Istanbul
The exhibition "Ara Güler: Photographs 1950–2005" at the Willi Brandt House in Berlin runs until 1 February 2015. The focus of the exhibition is the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, a city that Güler has spent his entire life documenting. Felix Koltermann visited the retrospective
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International conspiracy theories and xenophobia in Turkey
Turkey alone against the world
Turkey appears to be in the grip of a wave of xenophobia, according to the results of a recent survey by the US-based Pew Research Foundation. The findings come as the country has to cope with two conflicts on its borders and faces increasingly strained relations with key allies and neighbours. But as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the findings could be part of a far deeper historical fear of the West
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The "Museum of Crimes of Thought"
Novel weapon in the fight for freedom of expression
The people behind the recently launched online "Museum of Thought Crimes" hope to raise awareness of the suppression of freedom of speech and the persecution of intellectuals in Turkey and beyond. Ceyda Nurtsch talked to one of the project's initiators, Sanar Yurdatapan
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Local elections in Turkey
An erosion of Erdogan's legitimacy
Turkey is holding nationwide local elections on 30 March. The prime minister, mired in growing corruption allegations, has turned the polls into a referendum on his rule. With such high stakes, the vote is widely seen as one of the most important in the country's history. Dorian Jones has more from Istanbul
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Interview with Lale Akgün
"Erdogan's Days Are Numbered'
Turkey's corruption scandal has put the prime minister's party under severe pressure. Lale Akgun, a German Social Democrat (SPD) politician with Turkish roots, says Erdogan fatally underestimated the Gulen movement
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The Gulen Movement Strikes Back
"Power Struggle Weakens Erdogan"
Supporters of the Gulen movement and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are now at odds with each other. Turkey expert Günter Seufert explains what this power struggle means for Erdogan
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Essay by Dani Rodrik
The Problem is Authoritarianism, Not Islam
Is Islam fundamentally incompatible with democracy? Time and again events compel us to ask this question. And yet it is a question that obscures more than it illuminates. An essay by Dani Rodrik
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"Open Forums" in Turkey
New Forms of Participation
The Gezi Park protests have led to the emergence of local grassroots committees or "Open Forums" in many Turkish towns and cities. Their goal: To preserve quality of life in residential areas and foster political dialogue and development. A commentary by Ceyda Nurtsch from the "Open Forum" in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Beyoğlu
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Freedom of the Press in Turkey
Tied to the Leash of the State
According to information from "Reporters without Borders", there are more journalists imprisoned in Turkey today than there ever have been since the end of the military regime in 1983. The freedom of the Turkish press is kept within very narrow limits. Yet, is this really such a new phenomenon? Fatih Cicek offers some answers
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The Turkish Publisher Ragıp Zarakolu
The Power of the Word
For almost 40 years now the Turkish publisher, author and human rights activist Ragıp Zarakolu has been a thorn in the side of the Turkish state. He has been jailed several times and there are numerous indictments against him going through the courts. But Zarakolu has never lost his faith in the power of the word. Profile by Ceyda Nurtsch
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Commentary by Aryeh Neier
Turkey's Imprisoned Press
According human rights organisations, there were never as many journalists in prison in Turkey since the end of the military regime in 1983 as during the past year. Aryeh Neier, founding member of "Human Rights Watch", criticizes the state of media freedom of Turkey, which in his view conflicts with the nation's general human rights situation
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Turkish Television Series: Muhteşem Yüzyil
Too Much Sex, Too Little Heroism
Millions of viewers in Turkey are hooked on a television series about the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent. Prime Minister Erdogan, on the other hand, wants the series taken off air. Jürgen Gottschlich reports from Istanbul