Turkey
Prison Song
In 2018, Kurdish musician Hozan Cane traveled from her home in Germany to northwestern Turkey to sing for a pro-Kurdish election campaign. The Turkish authorities swiftly arrested and imprisoned her on trumped-up charges. Her ordeal encapsulates a worrying trend in the country, where human rights abuses are on the rise.
The Death of Old Tokludede
The redevelopment of the Tokludede neighborhood in Istanbul reveals how such places and their communities have been torn open by Turkey’s embrace of modernization and global capitalism, with many of its former residents cast out to be replaced with a new culture and lifestyle.
The Untold History of Turkish-Kurdish Alliances
Turks and Kurds have shared a common history for centuries, and have often been united by alliances that helped to reshape power in Anatolia and the wider region. Yet since the foundation of modern Turkey, this history has been overshadowed by political dynamics and a breakdown of relations.
Inside Turkey’s EU-Funded Deportation Machine
The EU has provided Ankara with at least 200 million euros in funding to set up and operate a vast network of removal centers, a joint investigation has found. Yet as Turkish sentiment turns against refugees, Erdogan's government is using the centers to detain, abuse and forcibly deport them.
Turkey’s Winemakers Are Resurrecting the Wines of Millennia Past
The 20th century saw a significant decline in Turkey’s ancient wine industry. Now a handful of winemakers, activists, researchers and educators are starting to uncover the country’s vast terroir — despite barriers imposed by Turkey’s conservative government. To break into the new, they are in large part rediscovering the old.
A Culling Plan Unifies Turkey’s Dog Lovers
If proposed Turkish legislation passed, dogs would be collected, kept for 30 days and then killed (unless they are claimed). In practice, animal lovers fear that this would lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of street dogs. But intense public backlash may have the government walking back their plan.
The Politics of Turkey’s Coke Connection
Why has Turkey’s cocaine trade exploded, and what has led drug kingpins to take up residence in the country? There are several possible answers, and suspicions have been rising that corruption is playing a part.