By Anthony Zurcher

In response to Turkey shooting down a Russian jet last week, President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree putting into effect a set of harsh economic sanctions. In addition to covering imports from Turkey and limiting Turkish companies/nationals located in Russia, the sanctions also will end charter flights between the two nations and forbid tourist packages to Turkey. These provisions are expected to have a considerable effect, as Turkish exports to Russia are worth more than $1.52B each year. Neither side is showing any signs of backing down following the controversial jet shooting, which Turkey claims was a violation of its airspace. Mr. Putin has firmly maintained that the jet was in Syrian territory and is expecting a formal apology that has yet to materialize.

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December 01, 2015

By Olga Symeonoglou

The G20 Leaders’ Summit, a global economic summit, took place on November 15 and 16 in Antalya, Turkey. The G20 members are 20 of the world’s largest economies, with guest countries and international organizations invited each year. The summit followed only days after the attacks in Beirut and Paris, which took up a large part of the discussion that is usually reserved for economics. The member countries agreed that something needs to be done about ISIS and Syria, but are at odds about what the solutions should be. A communiqué detailing the summit’s agenda for the coming year was published at the end of the summit, including goals related to economic growth and recovery, unemployment, trade, economic stability, sustainable development, and climate change. 

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November 19, 2015

By Victoria Hines

On October 15, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Switzerland violated a Turkish politician’s right to freedom of speech by convicting him for denying the Armenian genocide. The Perincek v. Switzerland case was brought to the ECHR following a 2007 Swiss court decision that fined Perincek for his public statements calling the Armenian Genocide an “international lie.” Amal Clooney, who represented Armenia as a third party in the case, proclaimed this decision was actually a victory for Armenia because the Court found that the lower court’s characterization of the genocide as doubtful, was inappropriate. Moreover, seven of the Court’s judges proclaimed that the genocide is a clearly established historical fact.

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October 29, 2015

By Courtney Cox

Every four years, all United Nations members must undergo a Universal Periodic Review of their human rights records. During a review of Turkey this week, accusations of human rights abuses were revealed. Reviewing states criticized Turkey for its suppression of freedom of speech, citing the imprisonment of journalists as evidence. Concerns were also raised about increased police crackdowns on demonstrators and media censorship. Al Jazeera reports that Turkey defended its record, claiming that “it has made progress in promoting human rights and freedom of expression that are an ‘indispensable’ part of the country’s democratic order.”

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February 10, 2015

By Stephen Levy

File this under the unintended consequences file: Turkey’s poultry industry is reaping significant benefits due to the sanctions war between Russia and both the United States and the European Union, according to the Hurriyet Daily News. Due to sanctions imposed by President Putin’s government on European and American food imports entering Russia, Turkey, a nearby country not participating in the sanctions scheme, has increased production to capture market share. In particular, white meat imports from Turkey have increased from under 200 tons a month to 5900 tons in September. While still representing a small share of Turkey’s poultry production, the increasing demand has spurred growth in the industry, and may suggest another reason for the country not to join the European Union.

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December 01, 2014

By Huiyu Yin

Human rights activists and perhaps the general public in Turkey just celebrated the government’s reforms to limit police power in February 2014. On October 22, 2014, the government reversed its position and introduced a new bill that would expand the police’s search and seizure, and wiretapping powers. In addition, the bill would introduce a new charge that could potentially be used against government critics and restrict lawyers’ right to access evidence against their clients at the investigation stage. The bill is currently pending before the Turkish Parliament. After review by the Justice Commission of the Parliament, it may be submitted to the General Assembly, which may happen in the coming days.

Human Rights Watch identified five particularly problematic elements of the 35-article bill, which amends elements of the Criminal Procedure Code and Turkish Penal Code as well as other laws.

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November 04, 2014