TURKEY

ANKARA / NORTH AND EAST SYRIA — As discussions about peace between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) seemed to be gaining momentum, gunmen launched a deadly attack on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries near Ankara, resulting in 4 deaths and 14 injuries. Turkish media reported…

EDIRNE, Turkey — In a three-hour visit on Monday, Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the since outlawed Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP), reorganized as the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party currently imprisoned in Edirne, met with Özgür Özel, head of the opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet…

ANKARA — A shocking crime has gripped Turkish headlines, revealing the horrors of a criminal network involved in trafficking newborn babies, killing infants, and embezzling billions from the state treasury. This sinister operation, which emerged amid the slow collapse of the Turkish healthcare system, has led to widespread outrage. Investigations…

PENNSYLVANIA, U.S. — Fethullah Gulen, the controversial cleric and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, passed away at the age of 83 in a US hospital on 20 October. Gulen fled to Pennsylvania in 1999 after facing legal action in Turkey, where his movement, once known as the…

BRUSSELS — In response to reports of mistreatment of Syrian and Afghan refugees in Turkey, the European Union has called on Turkey to launch an investigation into these allegations. The call follows an extensive investigation by Lighthouse Reports which revealed systemic abuses in removal centers operated by the Turkish government…

ŞIRNAK, Turkey — The village of Jinet, in the historic Tur Abdin region nestled on Mount Qardo in the Şırnak Province of Turkey, came alive as its children, now living in Belgium, France, Germany, and other countries, returned to celebrate a spiritual evening at the historic Deruna Church. Depopulated for…

TUR ABDIN, Turkey —  A vehicle, that carried Syriac (Aramean-Chaldean-Assyrian) people coming from Germany and Sweden to visit Tur Abdin in Turkey, was subjected to an accident near the Anhil village, after the driver lost control.   The Turkish media outlets that reported the incident did not mention the names…

ZAZ, Turkey — The diaspora community of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) continues to play a vital role in preserving and restoring the churches of their ancestral villages. Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Tur Abdin Mor Timotheus Shmuel Aktaş recently presided over the opening and sanctification ceremony of the newly restored Church of…

TUR ABDIN — Sister Khatun (Hatune) Doğan, a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church and renowned for her humanitarian work, recently published a letter addressing her extensive relief efforts around the world, including the challenges and criticisms she has faced. In her letter, Doğan acknowledged the criticism from some Syriac…

ANKARA — Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP) is facing criticism for its selective stance on the Kurdish issue and its handling of racism against ethnic minorities and refugees. Eren Keskin, Co-chair of the Human Rights Association, spoke to Mezopotamya Agency, warning that hate speech and racist…