democracy Archives

Erdogan says: Democracy, freedom and the rule of law’ have no value, in Turkey

July 20, 2016 By administrator

democracy have no value Democracy, freedom and the rule of law have no value any longer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. He added that those who don’t support Ankara’ efforts to combat terrorists in the country are Turkey’s “enemies.”

“Democracy, freedom and the rule of law…For us, these words have absolutely no value any longer. Those who stand on our side in the fight against terrorism are our friend. Those on the opposite side are our enemy,” Erdogan told local leaders in Ankara on Wednesday, according to the DPA news agency.

Ankara is planning to deploy “an iron fist against terrorism” and “fight Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants” in the country’s south east Erdogan said.

Turkey views all Kurdish militia that are also spread widely throughout Syria and Iraq as a direct national threat. Erdogan repeated Turkey will strike Kurds everywhere.

Wherever you run, our soldiers, police and village guards will find you there and do what is necessary,” the president said, referring to Kurdish militants.

He also urged the authorities to “swiftly” end immunity from prosecution for pro-Kurdish politicians.

Erdogan says ‘Democracy, freedom and the rule of law’ have no value,

March 18, 2016 By administrator

Erdogan the terrorist 1 Democracy, freedom and the rule of law have no value any longer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. He added that those who don’t support Ankara’ efforts to combat terrorists in the country are Turkey’s “enemies.”

Democracy, freedom and the rule of law…For us, these words have absolutely no value any longer. Those who stand on our side in the fight against terrorism are our friend. Those on the opposite side are our enemy,” Erdogan told local leaders in Ankara on Wednesday, according to the DPA news agency.

Ankara is planning to deploy “an iron fist against terrorism” and “fight Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants” in the country’s south east Erdogan said.

Turkey views all Kurdish militia that are also spread widely throughout Syria and Iraq as a direct national threat. Erdogan repeated Turkey will strike Kurds everywhere.

“Wherever you run, our soldiers, police and village guards will find you there and do what is necessary,” the president said, referring to Kurdish militants.

He also urged the authorities to “swiftly” end immunity from prosecution for pro-Kurdish politicians.

“I no longer see as legitimate political actors the members of a party, which is operating as a branch of the terrorist organization,” Erdogan said. The Turkish president has repeatedly accused the Peoples’ Democratic Party of Turkey (HDP) of supporting PKK fighters.

This is not the first controversial comment made by the Turkish president. In January, he reiterated his desire to ensure Turkey’s adoption of a presidential system of government. He has even cited Adolf Hitler’s Germany as an example of how this can be achieved.

“There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany,” he said on Thursday, according to a recording broadcast by the Dogan news agency. “There are later examples in various other countries.”

Jimmy Carter says democracy is dead: US is ‘oligarchy’ You need at least $200 million to run for president

September 24, 2015 By administrator

Image: Former Pres. Jimmy Carter speaks to Oprah Winfrey about the state of U.S. democracy (Screen capture)

BY DAVID FERGUSON

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, former President Jimmy Carter said that the United States is an oligarchy now, not a Democracy, where the wealthy hold sway over the government.

The Daily Mail reported that the former chief executive said he would never be able to run for president today because of the immense cost involved — a minimum outlay of $200 to $300 million to run for the highest office in the land.

“There’s no way now for you to get a Democratic or Republican nomination without being able to raise $200 or $300 million or more. I would not be inclined to do that, and I would not be capable of doing it,” he said.

“We’ve become now an oligarchy instead of a democracy,” he continued, “and I think that’s been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political system that I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Carter — who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 — announced earlier this summer that he is fighting liver cancer that has spread to his brain.

The Plains, Georgia, native was elected 39th president in 1976.

Source: rawstory.com

Belgian Parliament President Says Karabakh is Rich in Democracy, Not Oil

September 15, 2015 By administrator

President of the Francophone Parliament of Brussels, Julie De Groot (Source: Orer.eu)

YEREVAN (News.am)—Nagorno-Karabakh is rich in democratic values, not oil, head of the Francophone Parliament of Brussels, Julie De Groote, told reporters on Saturday while visiting the National Assembly of Armenia, commenting on her recent visit to Artsakh with a Belgian parliamentary delegation.

De Groote said that people need to see and realize what democracy means in Artsakh.

“We met with the ruling and opposition parties, and saw how the parties are working after the parliamentary elections on May 23,” De Groote said. “Now, we have a starting point, based on which we can track the development of democracy in Armenia.”

Member of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region, Simone Susskind, said for her part that the Belgian parliamentary delegates knew that because of their visit to Nagorno-Karabak they could be restricted from entering Azerbaijan, but that they have taken it in stride. They have already received writs from the Azerbaijani embassy in Brussels.

“[But] this does not prevent us from coming back to Armenia and Karabakh again and again, and to introduce the ongoing processes in these republics to European society,” Susskind said.

Susskin added that the Belgian lawmakers who traveled to Armenia and Karabakh were surprised by the lack of anti-Azerbaijani propaganda.

“We were surprised to see that there is no propaganda of hatred against the opponent, especially knowing about Azerbaijani leadership’s attitude toward civil society. Of course, it will be difficult to compare [the] situation with Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, we know that a part of Azerbaijani civil society does not share [the] position of the authorities,” she added.

Susskind said that this does not mean that the superiority of one party has to be underlined. According to her, it is necessary to maintain contacts between the societies of Armenia, Karabakh, and Azerbaijan.

“We have to understand how to promote dialogue,”she said.

Erdogan Turkish state TV presenter fired for endorsing democracy and press freedom

September 1, 2015 By administrator

Presenter and academic Deniz Ülke Arıboğan has been dismissed from her position at the state broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). While no specific reason was cited, it is believed to be over a tweet where she voiced her support for democracy and press freedom.

“Democracy is a regime deserved by those who are worthy of it, by those who take a stand for it,” TRT presenter Deniz Ülke Arıboğan posted on Twitter Tuesday morning, “There can be no mention of democracy in an environment where the press is not free.” Report BGN

The tweet came at a time when auditors and police where engaged in a government-backed crackdown of a critical media group.

Early Tuesday morning teams from the Finance Ministry’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), complete with police escort and a 4-page search warrant in hand, raided İpek Media Group, Koza İpek Holding, İpek University, Kanal Türk and Chairman Akın İpek’s own home.

Turkish dailies Bugün and Millet, channels Bugün TV and Kanaltürk and English-language web portal BGNNews.com all belong to the İpek Media Group.

Deniz Ülke Arıboğan was the host of the program ‘Açı’ (Angle) on TRT Haber, the TRT’s 24-hour news service.

Three hours after her original pro-democracy tweet, she notified her followers that her employment at TRT had ended, “I have been let go from my job at the TRT program ‘Açı,’ which I have worked on for many years. I am proud of this new development!”

Tuesday’s media crackdown has provoked massive public outcry, with journalists, politicians, NGOs and international agencies all speaking out against the government-backed raid.

Government whistleblower and Twitter phenomenon Fuat Avni had forewarned of such an event in a series of tweets posted last week.

“Having seen that the November 1st elections will also result in a hung parliament, [President Erdoğan] sees silencing all critical voices as his only way out,” tweeted Avni, “He has understood that if he doesn’t silence the opposition media he won’t be able to secure the increase in votes he had hoped for by [stoking] terrorism.” He went on to refer to a raid against the İpek Media Group as “imminent.”

Fuat Avni has been a thorn in the side of President Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) for nearly two years now, having revealed many of their top secret plans. In December 2014 Fuat Avni wrote about preparations for an operation against critical media outlets which came true. Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu Broadcasting Group CEO Hidayet Karaca along with dozens of others were detained on December 14th.

Report emphasizes Erdoğan’s impact on decline of democracy in Turkey

January 29, 2015 By administrator

The state of freedom in 2014 worsened significantly in many parts of the world, U.S. think-tank Freedom House’s annual report has said, emphasizing the impact President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has had on the decline of democracy in Turkey.

“Turkey drifted much further from democratic norms, with longtime prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rising to the presidency and overseeing government attempts to quash corruption cases against his allies and associates. The media and judiciary both faced greater interference by the executive and legislative branches, including a series of raids and arrests targeting media outlets affiliated with Erdoğan’s political enemies,” the report said.

Turkey is counted among the countries which moved back in terms of democracy in 2014,

“In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan consolidated power during the year and waged an increasingly aggressive campaign against democratic pluralism,” the report said. “He openly demanded that media owners censor coverage or fire critical journalists, told the Constitutional Court he does not respect its rulings, threatened reporters [and rebuked women journalists], and ordered radical, even bizarre changes to the school curriculum.”

“Having risen from the premiership to the presidency in August, he formed a ‘shadow cabinet’ that allows him to run the country from the presidential palace, circumventing constitutional rules and the ministries of his own party’s government,” the report said.

The annual study evaluated the state of freedom in 195 countries and 15 territories, determining that 61 countries became less free in 2014, while just 31 saw freedoms improve. Turkey has been cited among the “partly free” countries in this year’s report on the condition of global political rights and civil liberties.

Turkey was relegated from the league of “partly free” countries to the league of “not free” countries in the 2014 Freedom of Press Report released last May.

January/29/2015

EU to allocate € 950,000 for democracy assistance project in Armenia

June 3, 2014 By administrator

June 3, 2014 – 17:52 AMT

The European Union has launched a new democracy assistance project in Armenia in an effort to develop a closer partnership with the country, Tert.am reported.

Introducing the initiative on Wednesday, June 2 Arevik Saribekyan, the British Council’s country director, the project aims to promote closer EU-Armenia ties and contribute to strengthening of democracy and effective governance. Minister of Justice Hovhannes Manukyan and the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Traian Hristea announced the official start of the Assistance to Armenia’s Democratic Governance 18-month project, with a total budget of € 949,670.

In his opening speech, Ambassador Hristea said that the EU – which is a key donor in the Armenia’s civil society building efforts – seeks to foster democratic governance, increase objective information exchange and promote a plurality of opinions in the country. He described the civil society as a key driving force seeking to assist in political decision-making processes.

The ambassador noted that the EU Eastern Partners are still facing restrictions in their democracy-building efforts despite their desire meet the above-mentioned targets.

The project, also focusing on media activities, will be more actively implemented in five regions: Tavush, Lori, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik.

Only 30% of Serbians think democracy is best form of govt.

May 14, 2014 By administrator

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE — A new survey carried out by the U.S. NGO NDI and CeSID showed that only 30 percent of Serbian citizens believe that democracy is the best type of government.

CeSID’s Program Director Đorđe Vuković presented the results on Wednesday to say the poll was carried out shortly before the parliamentary elections, and noted that seven years ago the number of those who favored democracy and those who saw advantages in other political systems was equal.

“Today, half believe that democracy itself is not attractive per se, and that there are other systems that could suit Serbia. The most common answer is, ‘the system I live in does not matter, what matters is that I have enough money’,” said Vuković.

In accordance with this attitude is the stance toward the October 2000 changes, when the regime of Slobodan Milošević was ousted. An overwhelming majority now thinks that this was “the beginning of Serbia’s decline” while only 15 percent believe that it was the beginning of “a democratic transformation.”

The survey also obtained responses “which could explain the convincing success of the Serb Progressive Party in the last election.”

Vuković interpreted the answers given by respondents to say that before the election the party recorded the highest degree of trust among its traditional voters, but was also supported by a significant percentage of those who previously voted for the Democratic Party, the Socialist Party of Serbia and others, as well as a large number of those who did not vote in previous elections.

However, from the standpoint of attitudes towards democracy and elections as a democratic achievement, the presentation heard that “the most telling is the fact that a majority of respondents would like changes to the electoral system to move towards personalization, that is, toward the possibility that people vote for individuals rather than political parties.”