TARGETING

Protestant Churches Association released “Violations of Right Report 2016”. Attacks and hate speech against Christians and churches continue. Churches are at serious risk.

In the case of the threat against Agos, Nationalist Turkish Party Istanbul Chair Bilal Gökçeyurt and the chair of so-called Turan Organization Ercan Uçar have been acquitted. Agos' lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoğlu objected to the ruling.

The Patriarch responded to the story of Akşam Daily which claimed that Ecumenical Patriarchate backed the coup attempt on July 15. In the written statement sent to Agos, it is said: “The editors of Akşam Daily should have known that this unfounded story, which was published with the purpose of inciting hatred against His Eminence, could lead to grave consequences.”

Prof. Dr. Baskın Oran filed a claim for compensation against President Erdoğan, because of his statements about the academics who signed the declaration titled as “We won't be accomplices to this crime”. Oran is one of the signees.

At ambassadors' conference, President Erdoğan targeted “peace declaration” signed by 1128 academics and said: “Pseudo-intellectuals, you are full of darkness.”We asked what these statements mean to Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Ayşe Gül Altınay, Gençay Gürsoy, Erhan Keleşoğlu and Ohannes Kılıçdağı who are among the signatories of the declaration.