TURKEY: An Expected Earthquake & more – 3rd Sep 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 3rd of September twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Thursday the 28th of August, Ekrem İmamoğl, Istanbul’s Mayor, discussed the expected major earthquake in Istanbul during a meeting in Adıyaman, a province heavily impacted by the February twenty twenty-three earthquakes. İmamoğlu criticized the country's preparedness, stating it was shameful that, twenty-five years after the nineteen ninety-nine Gölcük Earthquake, Turkey still faces potential disasters with severe human loss. He urged for unified efforts among institutions to enhance earthquake readiness. Experts predict that a magnitude seven or higher earthquake could soon hit Istanbul, causing significant destruction, with the city’s infrastructure likely unprepared for such a disaster.

Speaking of earthquakes… On Saturday the 31st of August, the Finance Minister announced that Turkey continues to secure low-cost financing from international institutions to rebuild areas affected by the twin earthquakes of February twenty twenty-three. The country has obtained about four billion dollars in funding for twenty twenty-three and twenty twenty-four, with negotiations for an additional two billion underway. Recent funding includes 200 million dollars from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The minister also noted efforts to secure further funding from the Islamic Development Bank and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation to support businesses and trade in the earthquake zone. The European Commission also signed a 430 million dollar aid agreement to assist Turkey’s recovery.

In other news, on Friday the 30th of August, Ayhan Ogan, one of the advisors to President Erdoğan, criticized the opposition on social media, comparing the twenty twenty-three presidential elections with the twenty twenty-four local elections. He said that opposition politicians had become overconfident due to their victory in the local elections. He also said that the win of the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party or CHP, was misleading, as the party secured the victory because the Justice and Development Party or AKP supporters did not vote, arguing that there wasn't an increased support for the CHP. Ogan’s comments, likely in response to the opposition's recent call for early presidential elections thinking they’d win this time, warned of harsh measures against any unrest. Even though there are no current signs of upheaval, his remarks seem aimed at shaping public opinion against the opposition, echoing his previous accusation that the CHP supported the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which Turkey deems a terrorist organization, during the twenty twenty-three elections.

Ogan isn’t the only pro-government figure spreading unrest allegations… During the Turkish Military Academy graduation ceremony, some newly commissioned lieutenants chanted, "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers," which Cem Küçük, a journalist aligned with the government, interpreted as a potential coup signal. Mustafa Kemal, most commonly known as Atatürk, is the founder of the Republic of Turkey, so there’s nothing oppositional about him, though opposition supporters often use this chant during protests to highlight the government’s dislike for him and his secular ideologies. The fact that this chant came from the lieutenants made Küçük suspicious. He labeled the chant as oppositional and urged the AKP to investigate the lieutenants, warning that small incidents can lead to significant consequences, citing the nineteen sixty coup as an example.

Ümit Özdağ, the head of the nationalist Victory Party, criticized Küçük’s remarks, asserting that those who aren't Mustafa Kemal's soldiers risk becoming soldiers of foreign armies. Özdağ emphasized the need to uphold Atatürk's principles and reforms, noting that Turkish youth remain committed to Atatürk's values.

In other news, on Monday the 26th of August, Israeli airstrikes killed forty people and injured many others, including two crew members from the Arabian branch of Turkey's state broadcaster TRT. The attack targeted a vehicle near a journalists' tent in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. A TRT cameraman sustained eye injuries from shrapnel, and his assistant and other journalists were wounded as well. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, accusing Israel of attempting to suppress the truth. It called for international sanctions against Israel and prosecution for targeting journalists.

Moving on, on Thursday the 29th of August, a Turkish court released Dilruba Kayserilioğlu, who had been detained for eighteen days after criticizing the Instagram ban during a street interview. Kayserilioğlu faced charges of inciting hatred and insulting the President. Even though the court denied her appeal against the charges, both were lifted. It still imposed a travel ban. The court released Kayserilioğlu late at night, without informing her or her lawyer in advance. Özgür Özel, the CHP leader, criticized the arrest and welcomed her release, calling for a democracy that protects free expression. However, Turkey's media watchdog has indicated increased scrutiny of street interviews and new media content.

Next, on Saturday the 31st of August, Turkish police detained eleven people after a photograph of Sakaryaspor Football Club fans wearing offensive masks during a game against Amedspor, a team from the Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır province.

The images on social media showed the fans wearing masks of Mahmut Yıldırım, a notorious figure associated with the Jandarma Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Group Command or JİTEM, which is a clandestine state security unit involved in numerous unsolved murders and disappearances that took place in the nineties. This unit was infamous for its role in the White Toros incidents, which refer to the abductions and disappearances of Kurdish people back then.

The backlash led the Sakarya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to launch an investigation. Gökhan İn, Sakaryaspor's president, resigned in response. Amedspor fans, who have faced racism before, demanded action from the Turkish Football Federation and judiciary.

On another note, on Thursday the 29th of August, Istanbul’s Transportation Coordination Center approved the addition of 2,500 new taxis to address shortages in the city. This decision comes amid complaints about the insufficient number of taxis and issues with existing services.

Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu from the CHP announced that the new taxis will operate exclusively through an app and won’t pick up passengers off the street. Payments will be accepted only via credit card or Istanbulkart, the city’s public transportation card.

İmamoğlu praised the decision as a step towards a modern, safe, and transparent taxi system amid the city’s struggle with taxi shortages and issues like fare overcharging.

Speaking of transportation… In the first seven months of twenty twenty-four, Istanbul airports saw a six million passenger increase compared to last year, totaling almost seventy million. Istanbul Airport's international travel rose by 9%, while domestic travel fell by 4%. Sabiha Gökçen Airport saw a 14% increase in international travel and an 18% rise in domestic travel.

Moving on to cultural news… Last year, authorities canceled the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival due to the censorship of Nejla Demirci's documentary The Rule of Law or Kanun Hükmü. Organizers had removed Demirci’s film, which criticizes the twenty sixteen coup attempt and its aftermath, sparking accusations of censorship and leading to protests. Well, the event is set to return and take place from the 5th to the 12th of October. However, uncertainty surrounds the festival’s edition, as last year’s visuals listed it as the 60th edition, while this year only mentions twenty twenty-four. It should’ve been the 61st edition this year but since it was canceled last year, the municipality seems to have a bit of a dilemma about it.

That aside, the city mayor stated that the festival had record submissions: fifty feature films, one hundred sixty-nine short films, and forty-seven documentaries.

Tanju Özcan, the Bolu mayor from the CHP, announced that the Bolu Municipality had begun fining residents for littering and disposing of cigarette butts in the streets. In the first month alone, these fines totaled over five million liras, which is around 190 thousand US Dollars. Özcan stated that no one had protested these penalties, and some residents even expressed gratitude, acknowledging the importance of maintaining clean streets. However, he mentioned that other mayors have complained about the fines to Özgür Özel. Özcan stated that littering is a widespread issue, criticizing both CHP and AKP municipalities for failing to keep their streets clean.

In sports news, Turkish athletes have made a strong start at the Paris twenty twenty-four Paralympic Games, winning three gold, five silver, and two bronze medals in the first three days. Öznur Cüre Girdi claimed Turkey's first Paralympic gold in archery in sixteen years. The country also won gold in parataekwondo and the men’s 100-meter sprint.