The military operations carried out by the Turkish armed forces in Syria and Iraq play an important role in securing not only the country’s borders but also shaping Turkey’s domestic politics. On the one hand, Turkish generals want to extend the buffer zone between Turkey and YPG, an entity with a close relationship with the PKK, whenever an opportunity arises.

NATO member countries are seeking clarity on Turkey's view of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. If it is taken at face value, accusing Sweden and Finland of being a nest of terrorist organizations may not make much sense. It is more likely that their bid to join NATO is collateral for Erdoğan’s long demands from the US government.

AKP Genel Başkanı ve Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, "Biz şu anda İsveç ve Finlandiya'yla ilgili gelişmeleri takip ediyoruz ama olumlu bir düşünce içerisinde değiliz… İskandinav ülkeleri ne yazık ki terör örgütlerinin adeta misafirhanesi gibi. PKK'sı, DHKP-C'si İsveç'te, Hollanda'da yuvalanmış durumdalar. Oraların hatta daha da ileri gidiyorum parlamentolarında da yer alıyorlar. Bu noktada bizim olumlu bakmamız mümkün değil" şeklinde konuştu.

To begin with, Ankara’s current efforts to normalize its relations with its neighbors primarily rely on Turkey’s desire to boost its economy by expanding its export markets and attracting investments. But unlike other wealthy countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, the normalization with Armenia does not present a similar prospect in terms of commercial activities.

Turkish-Saudi relations soured following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood supported by Turkey in 2013 in Egypt, while Saudi Arabia has been one of the main sponsors of General Sisi. The bilateral relations went from bad to worse with Ankara’s unwavering support to Doha during the conflict between Qatar and its neighbors led by Saudi Arabia in 2017. The murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018 and the subsequent developments were the last straw that totally broke the political relations.

With thisthis outstanding diplomatic activism, Ankara is increasingly shoring up ties with new partners in the region. Yet, what is striking is that the Turkish government keeps pushing to expand its footprint further in distant geographies at a time when the Turkish economy is crumbling.

Ce rapport vise à susciter et à analyser les actes et/ou omissions scandaleux des autorités turques à l’encontre de personnes – qui, selon elles, sont affiliées au Groupe Gülen, y sont liées ou sont membres de celui-ci – relevant du crime contre l’humanité.  

This report aims to elicit and analyze the outrageous acts and/or omissions of the Turkish authorities against individuals –whom they claim are affiliated with, connected to, or members of the Gülen Group– within the legal purview of crime against humanity.

It has been five years since the failed coup attempt in Turkey and no one has any clear idea yet what actually happened that night. While the complete narrative and evidence about the failed coup have yet to be clarified, the scope of the reaction by the Turkish government to the coup attempt was quite horrifying.

In the past year, through our various publications, analyses and podcasts, instituDE has strived to shed light on Turkey; its domestic politics, economy, foreign policy and human rights situation. We have worked to provide valuable information and comments on Turkey for the foreign observers as well as the Turkish public. We put effort into raising awareness on the human rights violations and authoritarian practices in Turkey.