Page 19 - TURKRptAUG19

Air strikes regularly hit Idlib in northwest Syria. The raids, thought by rescuers to have been carried out by either Syrian or Russian jets, targeted on July 23 Maarat al-Numan, a densely populated city in the south of Idlib province. Allegations of Russian involvement were “a fake” pushed by the White Helmets rescue workers, Russia’s defence ministry claimed in a statement. Turkey reached an accord last September with Russia to contain the fighting.
Turkey has been in talks with the US to create a safe zone across its border in northeast Syria, where the US supports the Kurdish YPG militia, regarded by Ankara as a terrorist organisation. Talks with the US on the safe zone had recently slowed, Turkish FM said on July 23.
An international coalition of lawyers has urged the UN human rights council to take urgent action against what it describes as the systematic dismissal, persecution and jailing of thousands of judges and prosecutors in Turkey.
“Biggest step in Turkish censorship history” as watchdog gets sweeping oversight over all online content. Turkey on August 1 permitted its radio and television watchdog RTUK sweeping oversight over all online content, including streaming platforms like Netflix and online news outlets. Kerem Altiparmak, a human rights lawyer, said on Twitter that the move was the “biggest step in Turkish censorship history”. All outlets producing opposition news would be affected, he added. “Everyone who produces alternative news and broadcasts will be impacted by this regulation,” Altiparmak tweeted. “Every news report that can be against the government will be taken under control.” The move was initially approved by Turkey’s parliament in March last year. It was backed by the ruling coalition made up of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ultra-nationalist ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The regulation was published in Turkey’s Official Gazette. All online content providers are now mandated to obtain a broadcasting licence from RTUK. It will then supervise the content they put out.
Aside from Netflix, other platforms like local streaming websites PuhuTV and BluTV, which in recent years have produced popular shows, will be subject to supervision and potential fines or loss of their licence, Reuters noted. Free online news outlets reliant on advertising for their revenues will also be subject to the same measures. Content providers that do not comply with the regulation and RTUK’s guidelines are to be given 30 days to adjust their content to the required standards or face having their licence suspended for three months and later cancelled. Specifications for the standards were not given by the announcement.
A spokeswoman for Netflix in Turkey told Reuters the platform was closely following developments and wanted to continue providing content for Turkey. Yaman Akdeniz, a law professor and cyber security expert at Istanbul Bilgi University, told the news agency that the move went against Turkey’s recently announced package of judicial reforms. They are meant to address EU concerns about deteriorating human rights. “The regulation granting RTUK the authority to censor the internet came into effect today... Soon, access to the Netflix platform or to news outlets broadcasting from abroad... could be blocked,” Akdeniz wrote on Twitter.
The media in Turkey is already massively under the influence of Erdogan and the AKP.
Personal bodyguards of Erdogan clashed with Bosnia & Herzegovina’s border police at the airport in Sarajevo when they had refused to hand over their guns, Klix.ba reported. Erdogan arrived in Bosnia on a two-day visit on July 8 to participate in the summit of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).
19 TURKEY Country Report August 2019 www.intellinews.com