TURKEY: Teachers & more – 14th May 2024

Merhaba from BA! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 14th of May twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

Unfortunately, we are starting this edition with some tragic news… Last Tuesday the 7th, a student at a private school shot and killed İbrahim Oktugan, the school's seventy-four-year-old principal. Following the shooting, the police apprehended the assailant. Reportedly, the principal had previously expelled the student, and he was seeking revenge for it.

In response to the tragedy, education workers' unions in Turkey announced protests on Wednesday the 8th to demand safer working conditions, and condemn violence against teachers. The unions had a one-day strike on Friday the 10th, holding demonstrations and urging members to refrain from conducting classes or administrative duties. Additionally, they have appealed to non-member colleagues to join them by wearing black ribbons while at work. The unions are also calling for in-school protests and asking the Education Ministry to implement increased safety measures.

In Turkey, the government uses the build-operate-transfer model to partner with private firms in constructing public infrastructure like airports and tunnels. Private companies build these structures, operate them and take the profit. The government also provides these companies with passenger and vehicle quotas, and guarantees that, if the quotas are not fulfilled, it will pay the difference out of its own pocket (well, the taxpayers’ pockets). The aim was to reduce the cost of construction. However, reports show the opposite, since the executive made substantial payments to cover passenger and vehicle quotas. Audits have uncovered significant government spending to meet these quotas, raising concerns about financial losses. Reportedly, in twenty twenty-three, the government paid over 200 million US Dollars to private companies to cover the passenger quotas of ten airports alone.

Speaking of airports… A FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 cargo plane made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport, because its front landing gear was malfunctioning. The aircraft, arriving from Paris, notified the control tower of the issue and landed under tower guidance. Emergency teams were on standby, and luckily no one was injured. The ten-year-old freighter model, based on the 767 passenger plane, skidded along the runway, causing sparks but no fire. Investigations are ongoing, with both Boeing and FedEx cooperating on the matter. This incident echoed a similar safe landing of a Delta Airlines Boeing 717 last year, highlighting pilot training effectiveness and raising questions about the safety of Boeing planes.

Recall that earlier this month, the country halted all trade with Israel, citing the humanitarian crisis in Palestinian territories. However, on Thursday the 9th, Israel’s foreign minister said that President Erdoğan had reversed course and eased the ban. Turkey’s Trade Minister dismissed Israel’s remarks and called it absolutely fictional. He pointed out that the government granted a three-month reprieve for companies with existing export deals to Israel, but the trade ban remains until Israel secures a permanent Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid flow.

Moving on to international relations… On Wednesday the 8th, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Prime Minister, expressed criticism over the twenty twenty conversion of Istanbul's Chora Museum into a mosque during his meeting with Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Greece’s president. Mitsotakis announced plans to address his concerns to President Erdoğan during his upcoming visit to Ankara. Sakellaropoulou echoed his sentiments, saying that the conversion sent a negative message and stressed the importance of respecting cultural heritage. The Greek Foreign Ministry labeled the conversion as an insult to the monument's UNESCO World Heritage status and international standards. The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, converted the Chora Museum, renowned for its Byzantine-era mosaics and frescoes, back to a mosque in twenty twenty. The move met great public backlash, much like the Hagia Sophia museum’s conversion into a mosque, further adding to the tension between the two countries.

On Monday the 13th, Mitsotakis and Erdoğan met in Ankara. Reportedly, President Erdoğan assured Mitsotakis that there are no unsolvable problems between their nations. Despite longstanding tensions, both leaders emphasized their commitment to dialogue and cooperation. Erdoğan highlighted the importance of maintaining open communication channels, while Mitsotakis stressed the significance of establishing mutual understanding. Though there is no news of the issue about the Chora museum, or if they talked about it yet.

Well, relations with Turkey and Greece might not be that great since a Greek court sentenced a Greek man working at the Turkish consulate to five years in prison for espionage. Another Greek, a ship cook on the Rhodes-Kastelorizo line, received a three-year sentence for the same crime. They were allegedly spying for Turkey, and were accused of photographing Greek military movements on the Aegean sea. Both were arrested in twenty twenty, and Turkey had condemned the arrest back then. However, the country hasn’t reacted to the sentencing yet.

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In news about press freedom, the Court of Cassation has overturned the ten-month prison sentence of Sinan Aygül, a journalist who was initially charged for publicly disseminating misleading information when reporting on a rape case of a fourteen-year-old child. A court initially sentenced him to prison in accordance with the disinformation law, more commonly known as the censorship law, as the government often uses it to target dissident journalists. This overturn marked a significant development in the ongoing battle for press freedom as the decision set a potential precedent for similar cases, offering hope for journalists facing similar charges.

On Wednesday the 8th, the police temporarily detained Kalben, a musician, in connection with a drug operation. Following a house raid, the police released her under judicial supervision the same day. The video footage of her arrest, as well as the police raid, went viral pretty quickly. Reports suggesting she was manufacturing and selling drugs sparked outrage on social media. In a social media statement, Kalben criticized how the media handled the news of her arrest and the circulation of the footage, which was supposed to be private evidence.

Dokuz8haber, one of the news outlets that shared the video, issued an apology, acknowledging the need for responsible reporting. This incident raised concerns about media ethics and the potential misuse of law enforcement operations to intimidate artists and suppress dissenting voices. The raid and the arrest might have been carried out to silence the Kalben, since she is not in favor of the government.

On to some economic news… On Monday the 13th, the Finance minister said that from now on the country will allocate more resources to crucial areas like natural disaster management, green initiatives, and digital transformation. The ministry also aims to reduce the country's risk premium to borrow money at more favorable rates, and minimize debt burdens. To accomplish these, the ministry introduced measures that tighten eight key areas of public spending like vehicles, buildings, public employment, overseas assignments and other current expenses.

On a different note… In an anti-smuggling operation, authorities detained Lorenzo Prendini, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, at Istanbul Airport on charges of endemic animal smuggling. Officials reportedly discovered over a thousand scorpions, tarantulas, and spiders endemic to Turkey in Prendini’s suitcase. The Istanbul Security Directorate Anti-Smuggling Branch found that the DNA information of these animals was copied for drug production. One liter of these drugs sells for ten million US Dollars. Now, Prendini is facing charges of capturing endemic animals across the country.

And to close this edition, on Thursday the 9th, a deputy from the main opposition the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, made a notable speech in the parliament, donning a beekeeping suit to draw attention to the challenges beekeepers face. He pointed out the lack of inspection in the honey industry despite the country’s significant honey production, ranking 2nd globally. He expressed concern over the rise of fake honey in the market, emphasizing its detrimental impact on beekeepers and the industry's stability. He urged the government to increase inspections to address these issues.

And that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us

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