Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Turkish STRONG

Not a Merry Christmas for some people who are still fighting for basic freedoms around the world. But this just in after I thought the Turkish protest have died down a little, another outburst.

Tonight on my news-feed I see that protesters in different cities in Turkey have gone to the streets again to protest the long overdue resignation of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan is the 25th Prime Minister of Turkey since around 2003. He also used to be the major of Istanbul. There has been a major shift in his powerful political rule over the last few years. People are calling for him to step down now. Recently Tayyip has replaced 10 political ministers after a very major corruption investigation. Politics and corruption? Peas in a pod indeed. 

Environment Minister Erdogan Bayraktar has stepped down after his own two sons were arrested for allegedly fraudulent money transfers and bribes for construction projects. Mind you this whole prostest started because Tayyip wanted to reconstruct a major tourist spot in Turkey. Bayraktar has complained that the Prime Minister Tayyip himself approved these construction brides and says that Tayyip should resign. It's quiet funny how everyone is telling on him now that they are out of jobs. A lot of prominent figures in this political pa
rty have been dismissed because of the money fraud including police in Turkey. 

The police violence in Turkey is becoming overwhelming for the protesters who are at the blunt end of the water cannons, tear gas, and anything else being hurled at them. People have been very critically injured, hurt and have even died as a result of the brutality of the police trying to disperse thousands of people.  People cannot even march or protest to express how they feel about the government without being threatened. Have we not seen this before? How many Human Right violations have been committed in Taksim and around Turkey so far? When will stubborn Erdogan listen to the people?

Monday, December 2, 2013