TURKEY

ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities have arrested over 1,300 protesters in Istanbul and other cities following nationwide demonstrations against the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading opposition figure and prominent challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The arrests have drawn sharp criticism from European governments and institutions. Protests erupted…

ISTANBUL — On Saturday, a joint delegation, including Tuma Özdemir, representing the European Syriac Union (ESU), along with representatives of Alevi institutions and organizations in Turkey, visited Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew at the Patriarchate Headquarters in the Fener district of Istanbul. This visit marks the first of its kind.…

SÖDERTÄLJE, Sweden — During his visit to Sweden, Head of the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and former foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with representatives of the two Syriac Orthodox dioceses in Sweden. The meeting, attended by Swedish Syriac MP in Sweden Yusuf Aydin (Kristdemokraterna, KD) and attorney…

HOLEB (ALEPPO), Syria — Turkey is further encroaching on neighboring Syria after the fall of the Syrian Ba’ath regime and the appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa as head of the Syrian Transitional Government (STG). It already had military presence of its own in Idlib and in northern Syria or through its…

ANKARA — Since the leader of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) Devlet Bahçeli invited imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan to address Turkish parliament in October 2024 and call for the dissolution of the PKK, the stage has been set for…

HAH, Turkey — The Syriac village of Hah (Anıtlı), located in Medyad (Midyat) District in southeastern Turkey’s Merde (Mardin) Province, has been recognized as one of the region’s three most beautiful villages, according to a report by GAP Gündemi. The village is distinguished by its deep historical roots and rich…

ISTANBUL — The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, along with other European officials, issued a joint statement expressing concern over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The statement criticized the charges against İmamoğlu, viewing them as part of a broader crackdown on elected politicians, activists, journalists, businesspeople,…

ISTANBUL — Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul on Wednesday to protest the arrest of the city’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu of the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP). The Turkish police detained İmamoğlu amid allegations of abuse of power, corruption, and purported links to…

ISTANBUL — Citing a statement from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that arrest warrants were issued for 100 suspects, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, over allegations of various crimes. Many of the arrest warrants are for members of the opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk…

WASHINGTON D.C. / ANKARA — The US State Department has officially expressed its support for the recent agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Transitional Government (STG), emphasizing its alignment with efforts to establish a credible, non-sectarian government in Syria. Meanwhile, Turkey’s Equality and Peoples’ Democracy Party…