In the July 22 ballot, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured the largest share of votes in a Turkish election since 1965, in a contest which saw heated controversy about the country’s future as a secular republic. His Justice and… Read moreTurkish nationalism loses at polls—Kurdish nationalism wins?
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said initial investigations into the July 2 suicide-bombing that killed seven Spanish tourists indicate that al-Qaeda was behind the attack. Moratinos said the information was provided by his Yemeni counterpart Abu Bakr Abduallah al… Read moreAl-Qaeda behind Yemen suicide blast?
The Egyptian government has refused to allow human rights groups to observe the military trial of 33 leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood, undercutting the government’s claims that civilians will have a fair trial before military courts, Amnesty International and… Read moreEgypt: secret military trials protested
Turkish authorities have announed the seizure of weapons hidden on a Syria-bound train from Iran after Kurdish PKK guerillas derailed it with a bomb near the town of Genc in Bingol province. News reports said the weapons included 300 rockets… Read moreTurkey recovers Iranian arms from Syria-bound train raided by Kurdish guerillas
The separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) denied responsibility for the May 22 bomb attack that killed six and wounded up to 100 in the busy Ankara shopping district of Ulus. “We have no connection with the attack,” the PKK said… Read moreAnkara terror: PKK denies it
Yemen has recalled its ambassador to Libya over its suspected support to Shi’ite guerilla followers of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who have been fighting government forces in the northern province of Saada since the beginning of the year. “The decision to recall… Read moreYemen: Qadaffi backs Shi’ite insurgents?
From Human Rights Watch, May 2, via AllAfrica.com: A criminal court in Cairo today sentenced Huwaida Taha Mitwalli, a journalist for Al-Jazeera and the London-based daily Al-Quds al-Arabi, to six months in prison on charges of “possessing and giving false… Read moreEgypt: reporter gets prison for exposing torture
From Amnesty International, April 24: Amnesty International condemns the harsh sentence handed down today on human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, following an unfair trial that appeared to be politically driven and during which he was not given full access to… Read moreSyria: rights attorney gets five years
Now that Iran has a nuclear program, other Middle East countries want nuclear power—potentially resulting in a nuclear arms race in the region, the New York Times reported April 15. “Two years ago, the leaders of Saudi Arabia told international… Read moreNYT: Mideast nuclear arms race seen
Chanting secularist slogans and waving Turkish flags, more than 300,000 from throughout Turkey rallied April 15 to discourage Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from running for the presidency. The protesters marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of… Read moreTurks rally for secular government
From The Guardian, April 9: Five Turkish punk rockers and their agent face up to 18 months in jail for insult after a bureaucrat took offence at their song criticising the country’s unpopular university entrance exam. The head of Turkey’s… Read moreTurkish punks jailed for social satire
Amnesty International condemns Egypt’s record on torture and illegal detention in a new report, and calls on other countries to abandon diplomatic “no torture” deals with Cairo. Egypt’s record on torture recently made headlines after police officers raped a 21-year-old… Read moreAmnesty International blasts Egypt, “rendition”
