Stories about Turkey
Under BTK's eye: investigation reveals Turkey's information and communication authority has been collecting private user data for over a year
The private user data collected by Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has been described by main opposition party as the biggest tapping scandal in the Republic's history.
Turkish football fans chant ‘Vladimir Putin’ during match against Kyiv
Aggravated Turkish football fans chanted "Vladimir Putin" during a match again the Ukrainian Dynamo Kyiv team, in a reference to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. International scandal followed.
The history of Turkey's unpopular hydroelectricity projects in Southeastern Anatolia
Turkey's hydrology projects along the Tigris and Euphrates have attempted to modernize Southeastern Anatolia, often at the cost of local history, tradition, or desires.
Iraq, Iran, and local residents continue to oppose Turkey's hydroelectric projects along the Tigris
The Ilisu Dam, completed in 2019, has flooded the 12,000-year-old city of Hasankeyf, destroyed farms in Iraq, and caused dust storms in Iran. Is the destruction worth the benefit?
Access the Unfreedom Monitor database
The Unfreedom Monitor is an Advox initiative to deepen our understanding of the relationship between technology and authoritarian power. In the first phase of this project, researchers working in 11 countries and four key themes conducted analysis of incidents, narratives, and media items, to explain acts of digital authoritarianism and...
Turkey clashes with the top European human rights court
On July 11, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), said Turkey failed to fulfill its obligation under Article 46/1 to comply with the court's 2019 judgement to release Kavala.
In Turkey death of a doctor renews old grievances about violence against healthcare workers
Despite attempts to save Karakaya's life, he died, leaving behind devastated family but also becoming the most recent and brazen example of the on-going violence against healthcare workers in Turkey.
Central Asia rushes into armed drone race as regional arms transfers brew
Central Asia’s search for military drones started long before the Russian-Ukrainian war, and was shaped by the imminent rise of military drones and Russia’s gradual lag in advanced military technologies.
In Turkey, a song about love between two men draws backlash
The song has also triggered a harsh response from the country's conservative population, who claim the video has no place in a country like Turkey.
Turkey blocks access to two news websites
On June 30, Turkey’s Radio and Television High Council blocked access to the Turkish language websites of Deutsche Welle and Voice of America after two news outlets refused to obtain a broadcaster license.
Turkey's former mayor claims officials discovered hidden jellybean reserves
The former mayor was answering questions about recently discovered oil reserves when he made the comment about a major jellybean discovery.
A corny TV exorcism possesses Turkish social media
In Turkey, a woman named Pelin Hürman who describes herself as metaphysics expert, performed an exorcism on a TV show and quickly became a laughing stock on social media.
Istanbul police violently break up PRIDE March and arrest over 300 people
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Istanbul LGBT+ Pride Week. While local authorities banned all PRIDE events, protestors still took to the streets, marched, and chanted slogans.
The Gezi protests were led by riffraff and sluts, according to president Erdoğan
On the ninth anniversary of Gezi Park protest, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slamed the protest and its participants, calling them corrupt, rotten, and sluts.
Trace Turkey's path to normalizing the practice of blocking news websites
The sweeping legislative amendments to national laws as well as exhaustive institutional oversight by government institutions have created an environment of unlimited digital censorship in Turkey.
Journalists in Turkey could face three years in prison for disseminating ‘false information’ online
A statement issued by seven international and local media freedom and journalism organizations said the new draft bill "will boost systematic censorship and self-censorship in Turkey instead of fighting disinformation."
Concerts are becoming a political battleground in Turkey
A series of concert bans are drawing backlash in Turkey with criticisms mounting against the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party for imposing conservative restrictions on citizens and the arts.
Erdoğan's priorities turn to space as earthly problems mount in Turkey
As part of its national space program, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled plans to have its citizens serve aboard the International Space Station.
Turkey's latest attack on the arts: A provincial governor cancels a long-awaited music festival
While the statement did not specifically mention the upcoming music festival, the event falls under the calendar days mentioned in the statement.
In Turkey, a comedy show lands in hot water over a political sketch
The Guldur Guldur Show, a popular comedy show in Turkey, had its sketch removed by a television channel over a satirical bit about Minister of Finance and Treasury Nureddin Nebati.
Turkey unveils an initiative that would send one million Syrian refugees back
{lans to send close to one million Syrian refugees living in Turkey back to Syria are at "advanced stage", President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message on May 3.