Papers by Journalists and Writers Foundation
The Journalists and Writers Foundation, 2019
In recent years, Turkey has experienced a dramatic shift in its social, economic, and political d... more In recent years, Turkey has experienced a dramatic shift in its social, economic, and political dimensions, fundamentally transforming what was once a relatively stable country in an otherwise very volatile region.
In July 2019, the United States and other NATO partners decided to suspend and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the F-35 aircraft program, prompting experts to conclude that “Turkey has, for all intents and purposes, abandoned the West,” and Western nations should “prepare to move on without President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”1 In a dramatic step for the Turkish long-stalled EU bid, the European Parliament has repeatedly called, since 2016, for an official freeze of the membership process. The country’s leadership as a response has intensified its anti-Western narrative, mostly against the United States and, to a lesser extent, against the European Union and its member states.
This report will entertain the question of the extent to which President Erdoğan and his policies are a threat to regional and global peace and security. The review will be examining various social, economic, and political dynamics and elements involving President Erdoğan and his administration at the nationwide, regional, and international scale. Ultimately, the purpose of this report is to convey the current political and social situation in Turkey from a non-governmental perspective to relevant global and regional organizations including the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe (CoE) and other relevant stakeholders. Additionally, this report seeks to raise discussions amongst civil society and policymaking circles concerning Turkey’s status quo, aiming at enabling necessary institutional revisions and necessary progress.
In the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 attempted coup, the decision of the Parliament of July 20, ... more In the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 attempted coup, the decision of the Parliament of July 20, 2016 approving the declaration of the state of emergency, enabled the government to enact emergency decree laws.
Civil society in Turkey has been long affected by a number of destabilizing pressures, including renewed tensions over the Kurdish conflict, instability spilling over from neighboring Syria, a series of terrorist attacks by ISIL, the increasing flow of refugees, political deadlocks, an economic decline and most devastating, a coup attempt aftermath. The political instability has paved way for a state of constant readiness to curb basic freedoms, including the freedoms of association, assembly and expression, allegedly for the sake of the preserving “national security” or “public order”.
In recent years, the authorities in Turkey have established a disturbing track-record of suppressing dissent and gradually restricting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including obstructing by various means the work of human rights defenders, restricting the environment in which they operate and often targeting them directly.
The right to leave a country of residence or nationality is embodied in the Universal Declaration... more The right to leave a country of residence or nationality is embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is also a prerequisite for the enjoyment of other human rights such as right to international protection from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Since the attempted coup in Turkey, 146,713 individuals have been dismissed from their functions, 127,794 have been taken into custody and 60,002 arrested; among them more than 9,700 women and around 700 children below the age of six. In addition, unlawful restrictions are imposed on hundreds of thousands of individuals, including the cancellation of more than two hundred thousand passports belonging to the purge victims, in violation of fundamental rules of both, domestic and international law.
The failed coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey was followed by an unprecedented purge targeting citi... more The failed coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey was followed by an unprecedented purge targeting citizens from all walks of life, in particular in the education, media, business, military and justice sectors. The ongoing purge and measures introduced under the umbrella of the state of emergency have severely limited individual rights and liberties
The present report examines the systematic legislative, administrative, and other efforts by the ... more The present report examines the systematic legislative, administrative, and other efforts by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since the beginning of its rule, in particular since 2011 and the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt – to permanently Islamize Turkey’s education system.
The findings of the report reveal a disturbing pattern of human rights abuses against innocent ch... more The findings of the report reveal a disturbing pattern of human rights abuses against innocent children in Turkey and abroad. By the end of August 2017, six hundred sixty-eight (668) children under the age of six are in jails across Turkey with their mothers; hundreds of children living abroad are born stateless because the Turkish consulates do not provide them with passports or national IDs. The authorities in Turkey have also begun to remove children from their relatives if the parents are of being the supporters of the attempted coup.
Since the breakdown of the Kurdish peace process in July 2015 and the July 2016 attempted coup, K... more Since the breakdown of the Kurdish peace process in July 2015 and the July 2016 attempted coup, Kurdish and other minority women, as well as women allegedly linked to the Hizmet movement suffer disproportionate multi-faceted discrimination, in particular as regards equal access to political participation, health, education, employment and justice, both in law and practice.
Books by Journalists and Writers Foundation
Journalists and Writers Foundation , 2020
On the occasion of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Journalists and W... more On the occasion of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Journalists and Writers Foundation organized the UNGA Conference 2019 entitled- Transforming Our World: “Inclusive Social Development for All” in partnership with 36 Global Partners from 24 countries from all around the world. This annual conference is the flagship event of the JWF that aims to gather and engage the multi- stakeholders in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. The UNGA Conference creates a platform for stakeholders to discuss inclusive social development, youth empowerment and protection of social, economic, cultural rights in order to provide policy recommendations on how to achieve the SDGs with 169 targets globally without Leaving No One Behind.
All around the world families are facing new challenges and changes and in many cases rapid econo... more All around the world families are facing new challenges and changes and in many cases rapid economic, demographic and cultural changes in various parts of the world, prevent families to fulfill their societal responsibilities. Hence, these new emerging challenges to the family require new answers. As a matter of fact, these answers can never be the same for all the countries. Each society delivers its own answers since each society’s problems have their unique background. However, this diversity of solutions provides us with a possibility to learn from each other. The answers to the challenges to the family are manifold. As such it covers judicial, social, political, and medical topics, whose practical application differs from society to society.
The present report examines the systematic legislative, administrative, and other efforts by the ... more The present report examines the systematic legislative, administrative, and other efforts by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since the beginning of its rule, in particular since 2011 and the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt – to permanently Islamize Turkey’s education system.
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Papers by Journalists and Writers Foundation
In July 2019, the United States and other NATO partners decided to suspend and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the F-35 aircraft program, prompting experts to conclude that “Turkey has, for all intents and purposes, abandoned the West,” and Western nations should “prepare to move on without President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”1 In a dramatic step for the Turkish long-stalled EU bid, the European Parliament has repeatedly called, since 2016, for an official freeze of the membership process. The country’s leadership as a response has intensified its anti-Western narrative, mostly against the United States and, to a lesser extent, against the European Union and its member states.
This report will entertain the question of the extent to which President Erdoğan and his policies are a threat to regional and global peace and security. The review will be examining various social, economic, and political dynamics and elements involving President Erdoğan and his administration at the nationwide, regional, and international scale. Ultimately, the purpose of this report is to convey the current political and social situation in Turkey from a non-governmental perspective to relevant global and regional organizations including the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe (CoE) and other relevant stakeholders. Additionally, this report seeks to raise discussions amongst civil society and policymaking circles concerning Turkey’s status quo, aiming at enabling necessary institutional revisions and necessary progress.
Civil society in Turkey has been long affected by a number of destabilizing pressures, including renewed tensions over the Kurdish conflict, instability spilling over from neighboring Syria, a series of terrorist attacks by ISIL, the increasing flow of refugees, political deadlocks, an economic decline and most devastating, a coup attempt aftermath. The political instability has paved way for a state of constant readiness to curb basic freedoms, including the freedoms of association, assembly and expression, allegedly for the sake of the preserving “national security” or “public order”.
In recent years, the authorities in Turkey have established a disturbing track-record of suppressing dissent and gradually restricting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including obstructing by various means the work of human rights defenders, restricting the environment in which they operate and often targeting them directly.
Since the attempted coup in Turkey, 146,713 individuals have been dismissed from their functions, 127,794 have been taken into custody and 60,002 arrested; among them more than 9,700 women and around 700 children below the age of six. In addition, unlawful restrictions are imposed on hundreds of thousands of individuals, including the cancellation of more than two hundred thousand passports belonging to the purge victims, in violation of fundamental rules of both, domestic and international law.
Books by Journalists and Writers Foundation