Journalist & broadcaster based in Istanbul. News & documentaries. Often @channel4news @BBC ex-@Reuters

İstanbul, Türkiye
Joined January 2010
Emily Wither retweeted
Azerbaijan ban on headscarves in schools opens rift with ally Turkey thenationalnews.com/news/men…
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Access to more than 1,000 social media accounts was ordered blocked in Turkey last month. FMA joins call for Turkey and social media platforms to stop censoring journalists and rights defenders online by blocking their accounts, and respect the right to free expression.
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Horrible flooding and storms all around Istanbul, stranding cars, cutting out power, filling buses and mosques, keeping planes from landing, and worst of all, fatally electrocuting a 14-year-old who was walking through pooled water.
Torrential rains trigger flooding, disrupt life across İstanbul bianet.org/haber/torrential-…
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Turkey’s most-watched news television station abruptly switched to folk dancing and rerunning old movies after police launched a dawn raid on Halk TV & a state-appointed trustee took control of the pro-opposition broadcaster as.ft.com/r/f3c095bd-9461-45…
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Emily Wither retweeted
Next month, Türkiye will host #COP31, the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. Ahead of the conference, authorities in Türkiye are arbitrarily arresting and prosecuting activists and others involved in environmental protests. New from HRW: bit.ly/4ykcSnN
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Emily Wither retweeted
EXCLUSIVE: Turkey is preparing to deploy troops, air defence systems, pilots, and aircraft to Saudi Arabia. · Turkish forces would defend infrastructure, Riyadh, and the holy cities while avoiding direct intervention in Yemen. With @ragipsoylu middleeasteye.net/news/turke…
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Emily Wither retweeted
A Turkish comedian was sentenced to more than 19 months imprisonment for insulting the President and religious values. Deniz Göktaş has been released pending appeal, but still spent 88 days in jail after clips of his show, including a reference to President Erdogan as a “dictator”, went viral. The comedian told a courtroom last week that he stood by his joke describing Erdogan as having evolved from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity".
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Emily Wither retweeted
In Turkey, opposition mayors, journalists, students and even comedians are increasingly finding themselves in court. My new doc investigates the crackdown, looks at how Turkey’s justice system evolved under Erdogan, & asks what's left of free speech: bbc.com/audio/play/p0p9568k
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There are mounting calls and condemnation of the crackdown on LGBTI groups and activists in Turkey with @CommissionerHR calling for the release of those detained. Turkish authorities maintain the actions are to combat ‘obscenity’ and ‘preserve family values’. But ‘references to "family values" or “protection of children” cannot justify restricting #HumanRights’, the Commissioner insists
Concerned by reports of a series of arrests, raids and blocking of websites and social media accounts targeting LGBTI civil society in #Türkiye. Advocacy for equality and non-discrimination is protected under the #ECHR. References to "family values" or “protection of children” cannot justify restricting #HumanRights. I call on the Turkish authorities to release anyone detained for engaging in human rights or civil society work. They should guarantee protection of due process and fully respect the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and the presumption of innocence. Read my full statement ⬇️ coe.int/en/web/commissioner/…
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Arrests of lgbt rights defenders (Justice Minister reports 162 people under investigation), raids on 9 associations & businesses for “obscenity”, organized crime etc shows Turkish govt’s determination to criminalize lgbt people without bringing in new laws
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Emily Wither retweeted
The UK, France, Germany and Italy have condemned as "unacceptable" the Israeli government's decision to publish tenders to build a settlement that could kill off any two-state solution. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called it a "destructive act" and summoned Israel's top diplomat in the UK. The E1 settlement project would cut the occupied West Bank off from East Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider the capital of their future state.
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Emily Wither retweeted
ADHD was a considered a thing right up until they started mass diagnosing women, many of them over 35. Woman’s health has always been dismissed as ‘in their head’ - this documentary will age badly.
Our President Prof Subodh Dave has responded to Channel 4's documentary ‘The Great ADHD Myth?'. He said: "The way we speak about neurodevelopmental conditions really matters. It can fuel harmful stigma experienced by people living with the condition and risk discouraging people from seeking the support and treatment they need." There needs to be better understanding of the rise in ADHD diagnoses and more focus on ensuring people can access high-quality care & support. Read more ⬇️ shorturl.at/dFfVh
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