Stories about Turkey from April, 2008
Armenia: Torchlight Procession
Life in Armenia posts an account and photographs from last week's torchlight procession held on the eve of the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The blog says that the march brought a much needed sense of unity to Armenia after the recent post-election unrest that left...
UK: Armenian Genocide March
Unzipped posts video, photographs and an account of a march staged by the London-Armenian community remembering the 1.5 million Armenians who died during the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The blogger from Armenia now living in the United Kingdom says the march reminded him to some extent of the...
Armenia: Nationalism & Remembrance
The Armenian Patchwork posts some photographs of the 23 April march to the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan by youth affiliated to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). The blog says that it was surprised by the nationalism on show.
Armenia: Black Dog of Fate
On the occasion of the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, The Armenian Odar Reads reviews Peter Balakian's Black Dog of Fate. Although the book has been around for some time , the review is quite timely given yesterday and is an interesting account of not just the Armenian Genocide,...
Armenia: April 24 — Genocide Memorial Day
Yesterday marked the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocideand the deaths of approximately 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Every year on 24 April, a date marking the roundup of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in what is now Istanbul, Armenians commemorate the massacres and deportations worldwide. In Yerevan, this is particularly the case with hundreds of thousands marching up to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial overlooking the capital to lay flowers and pay their respects.
Armenia: Alternative Genocide Action
Hrag Vartanian remembers an unconventional action staged thirty-nine years ago by American-Armenian artist Kardash Onnig outside an Armenian Church in New York. The protest which called on ethnic Armenians to “Un-hate a Turk” was held on 24 April, the day Armenians worldwide remember the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Armenia: Rock Against Genocide
Unzipped says that it is thrilled to discover that there will be a Rock Against Genocide rally in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, tomorrow. The following day will mark the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
U.S. Papal Visit: The World Reacts
As Pope Benedict XVI makes his first papal visit to the United States, the media and blogosphere are in a frenzy - primarily due to the sexual abuse scandal that shook the foundation of the American Catholic church six years ago. The Pope addressed the issue in Washington D.C. on Thursday, speaking with victims of sexual abuses, which pleased some bloggers but for others was too little too late.
Turkey: Armenian Sportsmen
Unzipped posts an entry on an online exhibition which depicts ethnic Armenian sportsmen in Ottoman Turkey. The blog notes that not only were Armenian sporting events held during the priod 1911-14, but that the two ethnic Armenians represented Turkey in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games.
Turkey: Court for Singing Kurds
Three Kurdish teenagers are facing trial in Turkey, for singing patriotic Kurdish songs, while on tour in the US, reports Kurdish blogger Goran.
Turkey: Interview with Murat Kurnaz
Turkish blogger Metin links to a chilling interview with “Murat Kurnaz, a German of Turkish origin, who was detained (and tortured) at Guantanamo Bay, even though he was completely innocent, and with no connection to terrorism.”
Turkey: What if Iraq is Split?
Turkish blogger Metin asks “What's in a name?” following Greece's vetoing Macedonia's bid to enter Nato. He also asks: “What if, when the U.S. troops leave Iraq (but not its government), the country is split into three, including Kurdistan. And Turkey finds itself opposing the name Kurdistan, as it realizes...
Southeast Europe, Russia: War, Peace, and Shared History
Veronica Khokhlova translates some Russophone bloggers' views on shared history and conflict in Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Free Speech Roundup: Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen
The Indonesian government has ordered the country’s internet service providers to block YouTube over “Fitna” the movie. In Saudi Arabia, the blog of the detained Saudi blogger Fouad Alfarhan was blocked, along with the Free Fouad website, which is dedicated to Alfarhan's case. In Turkey, a Turkish court banned access to Slide, the maker of social networking widgets, for “harboring pictures and articles that are considered to be insulting to Ataturk.”. And Yemen blocks Maktoob blogging platform cutting off Yemeni Internet users from the more than 46,960 blogs the service hosts.
Turkey: Assimilation
Blogian posts some fascinating photographs of Armenian women who were kidnapped from their families during the 1915 Genocide and assimilated into Turkish and Kurdish families. Eventually married off, the women in the photographs bear various tattoos as custom dictated. However, the blog says, despite outrage at what it considers to...
Mideast Youth: Interview with Kurdish Student
Bahraini blogger Esra'a, at Mideast Youth, interviews a Kurdish student in this podcast which discusses the Kurdish situation and the hypocrisy of mainstream media towards their cause.
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