The Tyranny of Turkey

Now that Turkey is buddy-buddy with the USA and the EU,  there's no criticism about  the human rights abuses going on in Turkey.  Also, let's not forget that Turkey has been at the forefront of the ongoing  turmoil  in Syria.  The Turks are not happy with their rulers and  from the little info that leaks out about this country,  it's evident that the government there is sitting on a powder keg that's about to go off, and primarily because the govt has interfered with the govt of Syria on the orders of  the USA and EU.  

Terry Anderson (remember him?) writing at Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
....In his letter from prison to  CPJ after hearing of his award, Yurtçu had written: "I've been in jail for two years just because I tried to learn the truth and relay this truth to inform the public - in other words, to do my job with the belief that it is impossible to have other freedoms in a country where there is no freedom of the press.

"What a pleasure to be able to dream about the day when peace, democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression and of the press will become a reality in my country. What a pleasure to see a light of hope despite the surrounding prison walls and the deep darkness here."
Yurtçu had refused an opportunity to leave his country before his imprisonment. He had repeatedly refused a presidential pardon. "This is not about me," he said. "This is about freedom for all the Turkish people.".............



From the HurriyetDailyNews:
The results of the latest global trends survey  by the German Marshall Fund appears to belie claims from the government that it has public support for its Syria policy, which also includes the option of a military intervention in the country. According to the findings of the survey, 57 percent of those questioned said Turkey should not get involved in Syria militarily, whether or not the United Nations has given the go ahead for such an intervention or not.
This does not mean, of course, that the remaining 43 percent favor an intervention. There are clearly many who are either undecided or do not have a clear view on the matter to comment either way. But it is clear even in one’s daily contacts with the proverbial barber, grocer or taxi driver that not too many people are prepared to come out and say unequivocally that Turkey should get embroiled in the Syrian crisis militarily.
This is not a result that can be too pleasing for the government which is trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to get the international community to act on Syria. What Ankara means by “acting” amounts to military intervention, of course. What is proposed, after all, is a safe zone for refugees inside Syria which will be protected from the air, and by boots on the ground. 
But Foreign Minister Davutoğlu failed recently to get the Security Council to move in this direction. Russia and China are vehemently opposed to such ideas. But there appears to be little appetite on the part of Turkey’s allies to also act along these lines. 
But it is clear that the government has not convinced the Turkish public on Syria either, let alone its allies or the international community at large. If anything, more and more Turks are questioning why the country has been brought to the brink of war with a neighboring country, especially since no apparent vital national interests are at stake.

From TheGuardian:
..... The biggest media trial in Turkey's history has begun in what human rights groups say is an attempt by the government to intimidate the press and punish pro-Kurdish activists.
A total of 44 Kurdish journalists appeared in court in Istanbul on various terrorism charges, including accusations that they have supported the KCK, an illegal pan-Kurdish movement that includes the PKK, the armed Kurdistan Workers' party. Of those, 36 have been in pre-trial detention since December..........

After having started the trouble in Syria which has created the refugee situation,  Turkey clears the border region because they want to extend the training camps for terrorists.

....Turkish authorities have  begun knocking on doors of thousands of Syrian refugees here to demand that they either enter camps or move deeper inside Turkey, far away from a border region tense with sectarian strife.
The surprise crackdown began this weekend, creating a panic in the community of about 40,000 Syrians living in rented housing in southern Turkey as bewildered families were told by government security agents and police to pack their belongings and move out.....