The French Senate has passed a bill making it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Turks nearly 100 years ago were genocide. France’s lower house of parliament passed the bill last month, and President Nicholas Sarkozy is likely to sign it into law. It says anyone who says killings of […]
French Senate Passes Armenian Genocide Bill, Turkey Outraged
France Votes on Genocide Bill, Turkey Warns More Sanctions
The French Senate has begun debating a bill that makes it illegal to deny as genocide the mass killings of Armenians during Turkey’s Ottoman era nearly a century ago — despite Turkey’s threat of more sanctions. French senators were to vote on the legislation late Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters ahead of […]
Turkey Urges French Lawmakers to Reject Genocide Bill
Turkey has urged French lawmakers to reject a bill making it illegal to deny as genocide the mass killings of Armenians during Turkey’s Ottoman era nearly a century ago. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on all French senators Friday to think beyond their political interests. He said passage of the bill would create a […]
Thousands in Turkey Mark Killing of Ethnic Armenian Journalist
Tens of thousands of people gathered Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey to mark the fifth anniversary of the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist. The crowd protested a court ruling that the murder of Hrant Dink was not part of a wider conspiracy. Demonstrators carried banners saying, “We are all Hrants. We are all Armenian.” They […]
Blast Kills 1, Wounds 27 in Turkey
One person was killed and many others were wounded in an explosion Thursday in southeastern Turkey. Officials say several policemen were among at least 27 people wounded in the mostly Kurdish city of Hakkari. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but Kurdish rebels who are fighting for autonomy in the region have placed […]
Thousands in Turkey Mark Killing of Armenian Journalist
Tens of thousands of people gathered Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey to mark the fifth anniversary of the killing of an ethnic-Armenian journalist. The crowd protested a court ruling that the murder of Hrant Dink was not part of a wider conspiracy. Demonstrators also denounced what they called fascism in Turkey. On Tuesday, a Turkish court […]
Turkish Court Sentences Man to Life Term for Role in Journalist Killing
A Turkish court has sentenced a man to life in prison for masterminding the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist five years ago. In Tuesday’s ruling, the Istanbul court gave Yasin Hayal a life term for instigating the shooting of Hrant Dink outside his office in January 2007. The court also acquitted 19 defendants of […]
Turkish Court Holds 31 in Kurdish Rebel Probe
A Turkish court has brought charges against 31 people Tuesday for alleged ties to a Kurdish rebel group that is fighting for autonomy in the country’s largely Kurdish southeast. Among those being held are former member of parliament Fatma Kurtulan and politician Tuncer Bakirhan. Bakirhan was the head of a now-banned Kurdish political party. Turkish […]
Turkey Detains 32 in Crackdown on Suspected Kurdish Rebel Supporters
Turkish police have detained at least 32 people in a nationwide crackdown on suspected supporters of a Kurdish rebel group that is fighting for autonomy in the country’s largely Kurdish southeast. The operation is part of an investigation into alleged ties between Kurdish activists and separatist militants. It targeted the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party […]
Peace Activists Gather on Turkey’s Border With Syria
Activists from around the world have gathered on Turkey’s border with Syria, demanding an end to violence against anti-government protesters inside Syria. The group, which calls itself the “Freedom Convoy,” is made up mostly of young Syrians living abroad. Group member Bilal Dalati said he is protesting because his own family members are getting killed. […]