Still no youtube in Turkey

I thought I’d just check to see if I could access youtube.com, but that is still not possible in Turkey … it’s still banned …

http://www.ihbarweb.org.tr

“Honour Killings” ?

The practice of so-called “honour killings” appears to continue in Turkey.  This time a young nurse was the victim.  She had filed for a divorce, and this was her husband’s response…

English :: The Common Reason for “Honourable” Men to Kill – Bianet.

Court of Appeals: Virginity as Essential Wedding “Qualification” – Bianet

Words are beginning to fail me.  What century are we in?  It is known that women have committed suicide, rather than have a “virginity test”, on the basis that even this test could render them “de-flowered”.  What can we do to bring a halt to these barbaric practices and ignorant judicial decisions?

English :: Court of Appeals: Virginity as Essential Wedding “Qualification” – Bianet.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Perhaps Turkey just likes making headlines, under the impression that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

“Turkish President Abdullah Gul has accused the EU of interfering after Ankara was asked to reconsider an invitation to the president of Sudan.

Omar al-Bashir has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).  But Mr Gul said he was invited to a summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), not for bilateral talks with Turkish officials.

Turkey, which has applied for EU membership, does not recognise the ICC.

It says it has no plans to arrest Mr Bashir, who is due to attend an OIC economic summit in Istanbul on Sunday and Monday. Turkey insists it is not shifting away from its traditionally close ties to the West.”

Perhaps “shifting away” loses something in translation.

Source:   Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8347419.stm

Expat website banned in Turkey

Really at a loss to understand what the Turkish government hopes to gain by shutting down these websites.  Do they really feel so threatened?  Is this an effort to control absolutely everything?    How can an expat site be a threat?  Or is it the expats themselves that they have in their sights?  What or who is next?

English :: Seventh Website Ban within One Month – Bianet

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Women’s Rights in Turkey

Yet again Turkey makes headlines regarding women’s rights.

The thinking is, given enough exposure, one day things will change for the better.  The more voices there are, the better they can be heard.

English :: Women’s Rights Must be Implemented in Daily Life – Bianet

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PRESSed into SILENCE

At least two of the news articles from Turkish law courts today highlight how difficult it can be to have a voice.

The  cartoonist, Ozdabak,  is on trial for publishing a political caricature.  He faces two years of imprisonment.

Nine Human Rights activists have received sentences of one year each, for participating in a press release, which criticised a death that occurred during a police operation.

Freedom of speech?  In Turkey?  It would appear not.

What’s in a women’s name?

Women’s rights are important everywhere, and Turkey is no exception. Except that sometimes they are only important to the women. Sometimes it’s  not a life and death situation. Sometimes it’s the seemingly small things, like their surnames.

According to the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Turkey is way down at number 101, out of 109 countries. This index measures the female participation in the economic and political life of a country.

The law in Turkey still states that a woman must take her husband’s name on marriage. This can be changed by a court order, and its attendant costs. One woman, in 2004, took her case to a higher authority, The European Court of Human Rights, and won her right to keep her maiden name.  Other women have since won their cases in Turkey, quoting the Strasbourg decision. Consequently, the Turkish law has been ruled against and should be changed. There seems to be no action in that direction.

Why is it important to the Turkish authorities that women lose their identity on marriage? A wife and children in Turkey are still the “property” of a husband. It’s nearly 2010. The Turkish Civil Code should and needs to be changed.