A much-anticipated Judicial Reform Strategy was declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 30 with the participation of almost all the stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations, Turkey’s Bar Associations, and other relevant bodies. The making of this strategy document lasted around eight months as the Justice Ministry sought to consult with the Council of Europe and scores of national organizations.
The timing, the scope and the objectives of the Turkish Armed Forces’ Operation Claw into northern Iraq convey important messages.
A prominent Turkish journalist, Sabahattin Önkibar, has become the latest and the fifth victim of a two-week campaign against journalists across the country.
According to a recent public opinion survey by Konda - one of Turkey’s most credible pollsters, 72 percent of Turkish people have singled out “justice” as a word that will best describe Turkey in the coming decade.
It goes without saying that the Syrian province of Idlib has once again become the focal point of all Syria-related international issues after the Syrian regime — backed by the Russian army — intensified its attacks against the rebel-held enclave.
As announced by senior Turkish officials, the first parts of the S-400 anti-ballistic missile systems from Russia are expected to be delivered by July 2019, if not June. In a televised interview over the weekend, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan left no room for the cancellation or the postponement of these systems, as demanded by the United States.
With five weeks to go until municipal polls in Istanbul, the two main contenders, Binali Yıldırım of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Ekrem İmamoğlu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), have been stepping up their campaigns in the past week.
There are two important snapshots from the latest Reform Action Group (REG) meeting - which normally convenes the justice, foreign, interior and finance ministers as well as high-level bureaucrats - held by Turkey.
This column on Monday had suggested that the Supreme Election Council’s (YSK) decision on the Istanbul polls would constitute yet another litmus test for the ailing Turkish democracy. It’s unfortunate to witness that Turkey has failed this test at the hands of the YSK, whose rule has created a major legal and political controversy.
