TURKEY: Narin’s Death & more – 10th Sep 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 10th of September twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

Let’s kick off this edition with news that shook the whole country. On Sunday the 8th, authorities found the body of Narin Güran, an eight-year-old girl whose disappearance in late August had captured national attention. The tragedy unfolded in Diyarbakır province after Güran didn’t return home from a Quran course, sparking a search that gripped the country for nearly three weeks. The police found her body hidden in a sack under tree branches and stones near a stream, an area previously searched multiple times.

The city governor confirmed the young girl had been murdered. The police had previously arrested her uncle after DNA evidence found in his car linked him to her clothes. Upon finding her body, authorities detained twenty-one people, including family members.

Protests erupted in the whole country in response to her death and widespread child abuse in Turkey. Demonstrators carried banners reading Murderer government and We will seek justice for Narin. Many expressed their distrust in the country’s justice system, fearing that those responsible will likely be free within a year.

Unfortunately, we have more tragic news… On Friday the 6th, Israeli troops fatally shot Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American human rights activist, during a protest against settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Turkey’s foreign ministry blamed the Israeli government for her death, and the White House urged Israel to investigate the issue. Eygi’s family called for an independent U.S. probe. Israel’s military said its soldiers targeted a male rock-thrower, but they are investigating the reports on Eygi’s death.

On Sunday the 8th, the Interior Minister reported the deaths of four gendarmerie specialists in a vehicle accident in Tunceli. Their armored vehicle overturned while on duty, leaving one other passenger injured.

The Education Minister stated that to honor the memory of these soldiers, all primary and secondary schools under the Ministry of National Education across Turkey will observe a one-minute silence before flag ceremonies on Monday the 9th, the first day of the twenty twenty-four-twenty twenty-five academic year. He emphasized the commitment to preserving the memory of the soldiers and instilling a deep love for the homeland in students. However, some critics argue that young children should not be exposed to such events, as they believe kids should remain focused on being children rather than dealing with death and sorrow.

Moving on, on Tuesday the 3rd, a court arrested ten of fifteen people detained for assaulting U.S. soldiers in Izmir. Among those arrested were key figures from the nationalist Turkey Youth Union, or TGB, and the Youth Vanguard, including their chairs. A day earlier, the TGB members protested the docking of the USS Wasp, an American amphibious assault ship, by covering a soldier’s head with a hood. They said the ship’s presence disrespected Turkey due to U.S. soldiers' actions abroad. The group shared footage of the attack on Twitter, fueling the controversy. A White House spokesperson expressed concern but praised Turkey’s swift police response.

In some good news… On Friday the 6th, Fitch Ratings increased Turkey's long-term foreign-currency Issuer Default Rating, or IDR, from B+ to BB-, citing improved fiscal policy and stronger external buffers, though it cautioned about potential policy reversals.

Fitch, a global credit rating agency assessing the risk of lending or investing, uses the IDR to evaluate a borrower’s ability to meet financial obligations in foreign currencies. Its ratings range from the highest AAA to the lowest D, indicating the likelihood of default. Fitch's upgrade follows similar actions by other rating agencies like Moody's and S&P earlier this year.

More on the economy… The Religious Affairs Directorate once again grabs headlines for its extravagant spending, this time on toilet renovations. According to The Daily Birgün's report, it spent six million liras, which is around 180 thousand dollars, on toilet maintenance, repair, and renovation in its Ankara office. This report came amid broader concerns about the Directorate’s lavish spending despite government calls for public savings. The directorate shelled out over fifty billion liras, about one and a half million dollars, in the first half of twenty twenty-four.

In an update to a story from our previous show… Recall that last week, newly graduated lieutenants commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country’s founder, by chanting his name and drawing their swords during their graduation ceremony that fell on the country’s Victory Day. This drew criticism from pro-government figures who have mixed feelings about Atatürk and his secular ideology. President Erdoğan remained silent about the incident for a week. However, On Saturday the 7th, he finally hopped on the train, calling the lieutenants “exploiters,” and demanded their immediate removal from the army. The Ministry of National Defense is currently investigating the lieutenants, but many fail to pinpoint what the offense in the incident actually was.

The ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP, had mixed reactions. As opposed to Erdoğan, the AKP Spokesperson defended the lieutenants, calling any insult toward them unacceptable. Even though the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, is an ally of the AKP, its leader issued a vague statement. The MHP typically upholds Atatürk’s legacy and likely opposes the investigation but chose to request clarification rather than confront Erdoğan directly.

Previously, we reported that the Afyon Municipality raised the marriage fee for immigrants to 10,000 liras, which is around 300 dollars — a twenty-four-fold increase from the regular rate. A Turkish court overturned that decision following a complaint from the International Refugee Rights Association. However, despite the court’s ruling, the municipality has reinstated the 10,000 lira fee. The mayor from the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party or CHP, defended the move, saying the municipality complied with the court's order to remove the previous fee increase but then reimposed a fee at the same twenty-four-fold rate. It seems the municipality is playing a never-ending game of legal whack-a-mole with the court’s rulings.

In other news, on Monday the 9th, Yemeksepeti, a food delivery platform, announced new compliance rules for its motor couriers. However, couriers say these worsen working conditions. The rules include penalties like permanent bans for contacting driver support about accidents on three separate days within a week. In response, the couriers gathered outside the company’s Istanbul headquarters and organized a sit-in protest. They demanded a meeting with the management to discuss the removal of these rules, but the company didn’t respond. The president of the Motorized Courier Workers' Association stated that they would stay until the company met their demands.

Next, The Family and Social Services Ministry announced a significant fee increase for public nursing homes and elderly care centers, citing rising care costs. As of September, the price for a single room jumped from 3,500 liras, around a hundred US Dollars, to over ten thousand liras, around 300 dollars. The rate for a double room increased from ninety dollars, to almost 300. Suite rooms for couples saw the sharpest rise, from 140 dollars to around 500. These changes reflect an over 300% increase in care fees. However, pensioners don’t have nearly enough to cover the cost. The retirees’ minimum pension stands at 12,500 liras, which is around 370 dollars.

And for our last story, on Sunday the 8th, President Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan visited the Savarona yacht. Once known as the biggest yacht in the world, it was a gift from the Turkish Republic to Atatürk as a gesture of honor and appreciation for his leadership. The visit marked the completion of extensive renovations, which Erdoğan, along with the National Defense Minister and the Naval Forces Commander Admiral, reviewed. The renovation included removing eighty tons of asbestos, repairing machinery, and renewing the yacht’s interior and systems. Erdoğan later praised the meticulous restoration on social media.

And that’s it for this week!

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