TURKEY: Helicopter Crash & more – 24th Dec 2024

Merhaba from BA! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 24th of December twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Sunday the 22nd, a medical helicopter crashed into a hospital in the western city of Muğla shortly after takeoff, killing all four onboard, including two pilots, a doctor, and a healthcare worker.

Muğla’s governor reported that heavy fog likely caused the crash, though an investigation is ongoing. The helicopter, operated by the Health Ministry, struck the hospital’s fourth floor, which was empty at the time, minimizing further casualties. However, it damaged the outside of the building, shattering the glass walls. The helicopter was reportedly en route to Antalya after dropping off a patient in Muğla.

In more tragic news, on Thursday the 19th, journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin died in an alleged Turkish drone strike in northern Syria. They were reporting near Tishrin Dam, a site of clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkey-backed opposition groups.

Many journalist associations and other organizations condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law. They emphasized the need to protect journalists in conflict zones and demanded accountability for the attack.

Following the journalists' deaths, the Istanbul Bar Association shared a statement accusing Turkey of committing war crimes in Syria. On Saturday the 21st, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor launched an investigation into the Bar for alleged terror propaganda. The İzmir Bar Association condemned the investigation, calling it an attack on free expression.

Speaking of freedom of expression, on Monday the 23rd, an Istanbul court acquitted thirty-five members of Çarşı, a Beşiktaş football fan group known for its activism, of charges linked to the twenty thirteen Gezi Park protests. The case, which accused them of attempting to overthrow the government, had dragged on for eleven years.

The prosecutor requested an acquittal during the final hearing, and the court unanimously cleared the defendants. Çarşı members criticized the lengthy trial, calling it baseless and politically motivated. Lawyers described the group as socially active, highlighting its contributions to health, education, and human rights causes.

The case had previously resulted in acquittals in twenty fifteen, overturned in twenty twenty-one, and the court later separated it from trials involving Osman Kavala, an imprisoned businessman charged with organizing the Gezi protests. The protests began in May twenty thirteen as demonstrations against urban redevelopment but grew into nationwide anti-government unrest.

In more trials, on Tuesday the 17th, an Ankara court sentenced Süleyman Girgin, a former Republican People’s Party or CHP lawmaker, to over eleven months in prison for retweeting a two thousand five Penguen cartoon that depicted President Erdoğan as various animals. Erdoğan had sued the Penguen satirical magazine but the court dismissed the case, defending satire.

In twenty eighteen, Middle Eastern Technical University students carried a banner with the same cartoon on it at their graduation and the authorities charged them with insulting the president, but the court later acquitted them. The case against Girgin began back then, after Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former CHP leader, shared the cartoon on Twitter, criticizing the arrests and defending free expression. Seventy-two lawmakers retweeted the post faced investigations, but the court acquitted most of them.

Girgin called the case a political move to intimidate opposition politicians and silence dissent.

In other news, on Thursday the 19th, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions president representing workers in the twenty twenty-five minimum wage talks demanded a 74% increase, setting the minimum at over 29,000 liras, which is 842 US dollars, to account for 45% inflation and a welfare share. The last hike in January twenty twenty-four raised wages by 49% to seventeen thousand liras, which is around 480 US dollars. Rumors suggest the government may base the new increase on expected inflation, reportedly 47%.

However, this amount was called into question as the government might be downplaying the inflation rate. Independent research estimated inflation at 87%, highlighting the growing strain on workers amid rising living costs.

On a related note, experts predicted a rise in rental prices after increases in minimum wages and pensions. Property owners reportedly withdrew listings to relist at higher prices after the new wage announcement. In Istanbul, a real estate agent shared plans to relist a one-bedroom apartment for 26,000 liras, which is over 730 US Dollars, up from 17,000, which is over 480 dollars, the current minimum wage. The agent explained that rent and sale prices often spike after wage hikes.

Even though the Ministry monitors price changes in existing listings, it struggles to track withdrawn and relisted properties, allowing landlords to raise prices unchecked.

Unfortunately, we’ve got more sad news as on Friday the 20th, a car drove into a Christmas market crowd in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five and injuring over two hundred, including two Turkish citizens. Authorities arrested a fifty-year-old Saudi doctor, a longtime resident of Germany, whose social media posts reportedly supported far-right groups like Alternative for Germany and criticized the country’s treatment of Saudi refugees.

On Saturday the 21st, President Erdoğan condemned the attack, calling it heinous, and offered condolences to the victims. The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the two injured Turkish citizens were in stable condition.

On Monday the 23rd, İstanbul’s Sarıyer District Governor forcibly evicted the Istanbul Municipality, controlled by the CHP, from Belgrad Forest, the city’s largest green space. Two hundred riot officers restricted entry, removed municipality signage, and transferred control to the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry stated that the Directorate would now manage key areas and gate control. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality had contested the decision after the ministry rejected its lease renewal request, despite fulfilling all agreement terms.

Although a court initially favored the municipality, it reversed its own ruling on the 12th of December. Legal disputes over the 5,300-hectare forest continue in court.

Since we mentioned law enforcement, on Wednesday the 18th, Selami Yıldız, the newly appointed Istanbul Police Chief, dismissed numerous police chiefs, including the former Police Chief of the Başakşehir District, known for assaulting women and journalists during protests. Yıldız's reshuffling affected key positions overseeing public order, anti-smuggling, counter-terrorism, organized crime, and airport security at Istanbul and Sabiha Gökçen airports.

Additionally, he reassigned police chiefs in İstanbul’s major districts like Beyoğlu, and Şişli in the European side, and Kadıköy on the Anatolian side. In total, twenty of the city’s thirty-nine districts saw leadership changes.

On Tuesday the 17th, Numan Kurtulmuş, the Turkish Parliament Speaker, scolded the audience for not applauding enough during a commemoration event in the central city of Konya focused on Rumi, the 13th-century poet and philosopher, and the Mevlevi doctrine, the spiritual path founded by his followers. Kurtulmuş spoke about the historical significance of Mevlevi lodges in Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, expressing hope for a peaceful future where Mevlevi rituals would once again take place in these cities.

When the applause fell short, Kurtulmuş questioned the audience’s hesitation, prompting louder claps.

Guess sometimes even politicians need a little applause boost to keep the momentum going.

On Saturday the 21st, the Minister of Family and Social Services detailed new regulations aimed at protecting children on social media. The plan includes a five-step framework, requiring platforms to implement age verification systems, enforce digital identity tools, create usage guidelines, and face penalties for non-compliance. Parents will also take on more monitoring responsibilities.

The ministry is drafting a legal framework to block harmful content, safeguard children’s personal data, and prevent targeted advertising from shaping consumption habits. Measures to restrict social media use for children under sixteen are also under consideration.

And to wrap up this edition, on Tuesday the 24th, the president announced new restrictions on medical ethanol use and purchase limits in the Official Gazette. Pharmacies can now buy up to five liters per month, while first-tier healthcare providers are limited to ten liters monthly. Second-tier providers may obtain up to one thousand liters annually, and third-tier providers are allowed two thousand liters per year.

Veterinary clinics and polyclinics can purchase five liters monthly, and animal hospitals have a limit of forty liters per month. These rules exclude public institutions. These policies aim to regulate the distribution of ethanol for medical purposes and prevent people from making bootleg alcohol.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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