TURKEY

Assistant Prof. Erhan Keleşoğlu was a faculty member at Istanbul University International Relations Department and was dismissed on October 2016. He answered the questions of Agos about Reina attack.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım spoke at AKP group meeting. He stated that the parliament will discuss 3-month extension to the state of emergency this week. The state of emergency, which was declared after the coup attempt on July 15, had been extended for 3 months.

Hrant Dink Foundation's Turkey-Armenia fellowship program sponsored by the EU encourages the professionals from the neighboring country to form cross-border cooperation networks since 2014. Armen Ohanyan (Hayastantsi), Maria Yeghiazaryan and Artsrun Pivazyan, who came to neighboring Turkey for new experiences thanks to the fellowship program, shared their experiences.

As part of the case against shut-down Özgür Gündem newspaper’s executives and writers, novelist Aslı Erdoğan, linguist Necmiye Alpay and editor-in-chief of Özgür Gündem Zana Bilir Kaya are released in the hearing held today.

Prof. İştar Gözaydın had been detained as part of “Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization” investigation against Gediz University and she was arrested on the 8th day of her detention.

For 4 years, clergymen from eastern churches have been helping to Christian refugees, especially to the ones outside of Istanbul. We talked to Father Orhan Çanlı from Syriac Catholic Church about problems of the Christian refugees in Turkey.

In an excavation work in Harput province of Elazığ, a 165-years-old Armenian inscription is found. It is thought to be a tombstone and deciphering works continue.

HDP MP Besime Konca and group deputy chairperson Çağlar Demirel were arrested yesterday. HDP Siirt MP Besime Konca had been released, but she was detained again upon the objection by prosecution and then arrested.

Ayhan Bilgen, spokesperson of HDP, stated that 237 HDP officials have been detained in simultaneous operations carried out this morning. He also said that HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş had heart spasm on Saturday and he is denied healthcare services in prison.

Death toll has risen to 44 (36 police officers and 8 civilians) as result of the bombing attack in Beşiktaş, which has been claimed by TAK (Kurdistan Freedom Hawks).