Alleged Supporters of the Kurdish Workers’ Party Released
Seven journalists from the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet were released after nine months in prison on Saturday. The reporters will stand trial in September on charges they support the separatist Kurdistan Workers‘ Party and the exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen (Voice of America)
Turkish-Backed Fighters Clash With Kurdish Forces
Rebel forces supported by Turkey fought against Kurdish forces backed by the United States in northwest Syria, according to officials and a monitoring group (Reuters)
Kurdish Forces in Syria Warn of Possible Conflict With Turkey
The head of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units announced that Turkey’s deployment of forces near Kurdish-held areas was tantamount to a declaration of war, and warned of the possibility of fighting between the two sides in the near future (Reuters)
At Least Thirteen Killed in Southeast Turkey
Turkey’s military killed ten Kurdish militants in air operations, while three Turkish soldiers were killed by suspected Kurdish militants (ABC News)
Turkey Imposes Curfew Ahead of Security Operation
Turkey imposed a curfew in forty-three villages across Diyarbakir Province ahead of a government security operation against fighters from the banned Kurdistan Workers‘ Party (Al Jazeera)
Eight Turkish Security Personnel Killed in Clashes With PKK
Six Turkish soldiers, a police officer, and a village guard were killed in four separate clashes with PKK militants on May 24-25 (The Daily News)
Erdogan Extends State of Emergency Indefinitely
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a state of emergency, which was declared after a failed coup in July 2016, will be extended until Turkey achieves “welfare and peace.” The emergency rule allows Erdogan’s administration to issue decrees without parliamentary approval or judicial review (New York Times)
Turkey Arouses U.S. Concern Over Air Strikes
U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States is “deeply concerned” about Turkish air strikes carried out on Tuesday in Iraq and northern Syria that killed U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The United States said that Turkey informed them of the strikes less than an hour in advance and that it asked Turkey not to proceed without proper coordination (Department of State)
UN Accuses Turkey of Abuses in Southeast
The United Nations accused Turkish forces of serious human rights violations between July 2015 and December 2016 in the country’s southeast, where two thousand people have been killed and up to half a million, mostly Kurds, have been displaced (Reuters)
Turkey Launches Counterterrorism Operation
Turkey launched a counterterrorism operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey (AFP)
Kurdish Reporter Killed By Road Bomb
Prominent Kurdish reporter Shifa Gardi was killed in Mosul, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated, also injuring her cameraman in the blast (CNN)
Turkey Cracks Down on Kurdish Party Leaders
Selahattin Demirtas, a co-leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, was jailed for five months for insulting the Turkish state shortly after the party’s other co-leader, Figen Yuksekdag, was expelled from parliament after her conviction on terrorism charges was upheld (New York Times)
It leaves the opposition party leaderless ahead of an April referendum on expanding presidential powers
Turkey Detains Hundreds Over PKK Links After Istanbul Blasts
Turkey has detained 568 people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in raids, the interior ministry said, intensifying a crackdown after twin bombings killed 44 people outside an Istanbul soccer stadium. The detentions were made in 28 provinces across Turkey, the ministry said in a statement. An offshoot off the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for the attacks on December 10, which also wounded more than 150 people (New York Times)
Turkey Leads in Jailing Record Number of Journalists
At least eighty-one journalists have been jailed this year in Turkey, which leads a tally of imprisoned journalists by advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists. The group recorded 257 journalists jailed globally this year, the highest since its record-keeping began in 1990 (The Guardian)
Report: Turkish Authorities Forcibly Evict Thousands in Kurdish District
Turkish authorities have removed tens of thousands of people from their homes in a Kurdish district of southeastern Turkey and prevented their return, according to an Amnesty International report (AP)
Bomb Blast Follows Kurdish Leaders’ Arrests
A car bomb near police headquarters in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir killed at least eight people and wounded dozens (Al Jazeera).The blast came shortly after police arrested parliamentarians from the country’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (Washington Post)
Turkish Crackdown Reportedly Targeting Kurds
Turkey’s crackdown on perceived enemies of the state following an attempted coup is now reportedly targeting the Kurdish minority; in recent weeks a Kurdish news channel was closed and local leaders have been arrested (Washington Post)
State of Emergency Extended
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended a state of emergency following a July coup attempt by ninety days (FT)
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities raided a pro-Kurdish TV station over accusations of supporting militants (Reuters)
PKK Leader Says Turkey Should Resume Peace Talks
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said the Turkish state should resume peace talks with the militant group in his first public statement released since April 2015 (Middle East Eye)
Turkey Replaces Twenty-Eight Mayors with Suspected Kurdish Ties
Turkey replaced more than two dozen mayors with trustees over suspected ties to Kurdish militants, triggering protests (CNN)
Eleven Police Officers Killed in Turkey’s Southeast
A truck bomb exploded outside police headquarters in the southeastern Turkish city of Cizre, killing eleven officers and wounding dozens more (Al Jazeera)
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blamed the Kurdistan Workers‘ Party for the attack (Hurriyet)
Turkey Attacks YPG, ISIS Targets in Syria
Turkey launched artillery attacks on Monday against targets in Syria, including Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Forces) locations in the city of Manbij (Al Jazeera)
Teenage Suicide Bomber in Turkey Identified
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan identified (BBC) the suicide bomber who attacked a wedding in Gaziantep on Saturday as a boy between the ages of twelve andfourteen. The death toll in the attack has reached fifty-four people (Hurriyet)
Bombings in Eastern Turkey Kill Six, Wound Hundreds
Two car bombings of police stations in Turkey’s eastern provinces killed (BBC) at least six people and wounded more than two hundred others. Turkish officials blamed (Al Jazeera) the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) for both attacks
Attacks in Southeast Turkey Kill Eleven Soldiers
Eleven Turkish soldiers were killed (Hurriyet) and dozens injured in a series of attacks in southeastern Turkey. Authorities are blaming the Kurdistan Workers‘ Party militant group for the attacks. Separately, a Turkish military officer, on a NATO assignment in the United States, is seeking asylum (Reuters) after being recalled to Turkey following last month’s failed coup attempt