Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses foreign ambassadors after a traditional iftar, the meal to break Ramadan in Ankara, on July 18. 2013. (AFP/Adem Altan)

Turkey’s Erdoğan threatens to sue Times for publishing critical letter

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 27, 2013 | Media

Istanbul, Reuters—Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday threatened to sue the Times of London for publishing an open letter by a group of celebrities, academics and others criticizing his handling of anti-government protests. Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, and...

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Protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Teargassed in Taksim

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 9, 2013 | World

Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—It started as an evening walk down Istiklal, but an hour later I was trapped in a blind alley, crouched behind a bread cart with no opportunity to retreat as the police fired volley after volley of tear gas down Istanbul’s main shopping...

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Protesters light flares during a protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 12, 2013.(Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Opinion: The threat facing Turkey

by Aylin Kocaman | Jun 21, 2013 | Opinion

Turkey has found itself in the international spotlight over the past two weeks, despite the continuing slaughter in Syria, the Iranian elections, and the tensions in Iraq. The crisis in Turkey, which is escalating, is being covered live second-by-second by the world...

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Turkish choreographer Erdem Gunduz (C) stands on Taksim square during a ‘duranadam’ or standing man protest in Istanbul, Turkey, early 18 June 2013. Source: EPA Vassil Donev

Dozens held in Turkey, silent protester goes viral

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jun 19, 2013 | World

Istanbul, Reuters—A lone, silent vigil by a man in Istanbul inspired copycat protests on Tuesday, as police detained dozens of people across Turkey in an operation linked to three weeks of often violent demonstrations against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Overnight...

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TOPSHOTSBoys wearing Guy Fawkes masks stand on top of a public bus at Taksim square on June 7, 2013. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday his Islamic-rooted government was open to “democratic demands” as he hit back at EU criticism of his handling of a week of deadly unrest. Amid international condemnation of Ankara’s handling of the unrest, European Union Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule told Erdogan that police violence “has no place” in a democracy, urging a “swift” probe into the unrest in Turkey, a longtime EU hopeful. AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC

Opinion: Erdoğan and the culture of democracy

by Hashim Saleh | Jun 18, 2013 | Opinion

It should be acknowledged that democracy does not constitute a part of our culture. This is the least that can be said. Democracy is absent on all levels, from the head of the family to the president, from primary schools to universities. We are all immersed from head...