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Crackdown on Turk Albanian smuggling network US to arrest people smugglers

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Rejected in France, Albanians return to a Tirana police station in September 2017

A crackdown on smugglers who enabled a thousand Albanians to enter Britain, the US and Canada has resulted in 39 arrests. Fighting crime tops Albania’s agenda as it prepares for EU accession talks.

Police chief Ardi Veliu said Saturday his Albanian police liaising with the EU and US agencies had made the multiple arrests, but were still looking for another dozen suspects, including two Bulgarians.

For at least €8,000 ($9,800), the smuggled Albanians had obtained falsified travel and identity documents of EU countries so they could enter North America and Britain, which lies outside Europe’s nominally borderless Schengen Zone.

Some had also traveled via the Dominican Republic or South American countries to gain entry to the US and Canada, Veliu added.

Seven groups

The smuggling network comprised seven groups operating in Albania, Bulgaria, Spain, France, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Britain, Ireland, the US and Canada,  Veliu said.

To reach the US and Canada, the smuggled people had paid between €19,500 and €24,400.

Police working with Europol and Interpol had confiscated computers, cellphones, vehicles, cash, various documents and weapons, Veliu said.

Shaping up for accession

Fighting crime remains a key task for Albania, a NATO member since 2009, which also hopes to begin talks in June to eventually enter the European Union.

Albanian prosecutors said on Friday the mayor of Lezhe in northwestern Albania and 11 other officials had been arrested for reportedly selling public coastal land via fictitious owners in bids to earn substantial money from tourist resort developers.

ipj/jm (AP, Reuters)

Turkey: Guard at Dutch Embassy in Ankara arrested for sexually abusing German diplomat’s daughter

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 A man working as a security guard in Ankara has been arrested for sexually abusing a German diplomat’s 15-year-old daughter, Hurriyet Daily News reports, citing Habertuk.

The incident reportedly occurred on June 15 at around 7:30 am in Ankara’s Gaziosmanpaşa district as the German diplomat’s daughter, K, was waiting for her school bus to arrive. At the same time, a man later identified to be a security guard, Onur O., approached the girl and spoke to her.
Uncomfortable with what was said, K departed the scene and began to wait for her bus in another spot. Onur O, however, again approached the girl and sexually harassed her once again. The man subsequently ran away from the scene due to K’s reaction.

After the girl boarded the bus a short while later, she related what she had experienced, prompting the service to return to the area in an unsuccessful effort to apprehend the suspect.

“As I was waiting for the school bus, the individual at the bus stop told me something. I told him that I did not understand. Then upon the arrival of the school service, [he] approached me from behind and touched me. Then he ran away,” the girl was quoted as saying by the daily.

Police launched an investigation and analyzed city surveillance cameras nearby, identifying the suspect as a security guard working at the Dutch Embassy. Onur O. was subsequently detained at his home in Ankara’s Yenimahalle district.

Following his testimony at the police station, Onur O. was taken to the Ankara court where he was arrested on charges of the “sexual assault of a child.”

Noubar Afeyan: Armenian people can help others, this is our response to Turks

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Noubar Afeyan

Noubar Afeyan

YEREVAN. – Armenian people are capable of helping the others: it is our response to the Turks, and it is absolutely opposite thing to what they did, co-founder of Aurora initiative Noubar Afeyan said.

Afeyan, Flagship Pioneering CEO, said Aurora Prize is a new thing in humanitarian programs.

In the humanitarian sphere, there were no similar programs that would represent such a small country as Armenia.

“The world is not focused at all on the themes of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. The materials that we submitted are completely new and have never been presented at the world level,” he said during Aurora Dialogues discussion held at UWC Dilijan College.

Afeyan is confident that they would continue their endeavor in the next few years,

“At a time when you feel that the world has left you, you see people who are ready to help you putting their lives at risk, and this certainly inspires hope. During the Genocide, we, the Armenians, were on our last breath, and throughout history foreigners – Americans, Turks or Syrians – helped us. Now they see the Armenian people, who managed to overcome all this and become self-confident and working people,” he added.

He emphasized that the part of the amount collected during last year’s Aurora Prize was transferred to the orphans of Brazil.

“If you only see how these children are talking about the Armenians and Armenia. They had never heard of the Armenians. Now they see that the Armenian people help them with the help of a woman from Burundi [winner of the first Aurora Prize Barankitse –ed],” he added.

Two Turks join Armenians in Worcester to recall ArmenianGenocide

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Two Turks – Burcin Gercek, a journalist engaged in Holocaust and Genocide studies and Emre Can Daglioglu, who is also engaged in genocide studies – took part in the events dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide held in Worcester city of the U.S. Massachusetts State, Telegram.com reports.

“We have a duty to face our past. Of course, justice cannot be done for killed people. It’s too late for that. But at least a recognition, an official apology, and some steps concerning the Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey could be positive steps,” Gercek said in his speech at the Worcester Area Armenian Genocide Commemoration event recalling the estimated 1.5 million Armenians.

Raised in secular Muslim family in Istanbul, she said the Armenian Genocide was taboo as a discussion topic when she was growing up in Turkey, and it was only when she travelled to study and work in France that she learned the history.

“I was so shocked over such a big lie that was told to us by the government and media and schools,” the reporter noted.

Emre Can Daglioglu said that they have to apologize for what’s happened in the Ottoman Empire, not only in 1915 but at the end of the 19th century.

“I am part of this denial. (As a citizen of Turkey) I have that privilege to be in Turkey unlike Armenians or Greeks who were killed or deported from Turkey. That’s why I think I have to apologize,” he added.

Turkey urges expats in Germany to spy for Erdogan: Report

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Turkey’s government has reportedly asked teachers and parents of Turkish origin in Germany to collect information on any criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in German schools.

The Turkish consulate in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany has been holding meetings, named “information events,” during which it told the Turkish attendees that their children should film their teachers at classes, the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) reported.

The report cited the Union for Education and Science (GEW) as saying that parents and teachers of Turkish origin have been asked to report any critical comments about the Turkish government.

“We have heard from various different sources that people were told to report every piece of criticism of Turkey, which had been heard at schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, to the consulate,” said GEW spokesman Sebastian Krebs.

“The consulate also encouraged parents to tell their children to film teachers and pass on the evidence to Turkish authorities,” he added.

Teachers at the meeting in Dusseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, refused to comply with the demand to spy on their schools, Krebs noted.

The Turkish consulate has not provided any comment with regard to the accusations, but Germany’s state security has launched a probe into the incident.

The accusations come on top of the reports in early February that imams from the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (Ditib) in Germany spied on Turkish followers of self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan has accused of plotting an attempted coup in Turkey last July.

Also on February 14, senior Austrian opposition lawmaker Peter Pilz accused Turkey of running an informer network via its embassy in Vienna aimed at targeting the critics of Erdogan and promoting his policies.

Pilz said he had sent documents regarding the activities of the network, run by the umbrella group ATIB, to the police.

The ATIB is headed by the religious attaché at Turkey’s embassy, Fatih Mehmet Karadas, and oversees the activities of dozens of mosques across Austria.

Pilz noted that the Turkish government sends imams to work for the ATIB to collect information in particular about followers of Gulen.

Gulen denies any involvement in the abortive coup, which claimed the lives of at least 240 people. However, the Turkish government has arrested tens of thousands of people over suspected ties with the US-based cleric.

The umbrella organization also monitors Turkish Kurds, Turkish opposition politicians and journalists in Austria, Pilz added.

Life in Turkey, Kurd leaders to Jail house, Turk generals to court house Erdogan on vacation

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HDP co-chair Yüksekdağ loses seat in parliament

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, who has been in jail for three months on terror charges, has lost her parliamentary status for a prison sentence she received in a previous case. 

Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Ayşenur Bahçekapılı read out a Prime Ministry motion at the start of the parliamentary session on Feb. 21, regarding Yüksekdağ’s sentencing on “terror propaganda” on Nov. 27, 2013, which was approved by the Supreme Court of Appeals on Sept. 22, 2016.

According to the constitution, the loss of the parliamentary seat “through a final judicial sentence or deprivation of legal capacity, shall take effect after the final court decision in the matter has been communicated to the plenary” of the parliament, without the necessity for a vote.

Yüksekdağ, who was also the party’s lawmaker from the eastern province of Van, was arrested on Nov. 4, 2016, over her alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). She currently faces over 80 years in prison.

Ahmet Yıldırım, HDP’s deputy parliamentary group leader, said the decision was “void.”

“The prosecutors, judges of the said sentencing are currently in prison. The ruling of a power hiding behind terrorists cannot be the ruling of the judiciary,” Yıldırım said.

Trial begins for murder of soldier who resisted July 15 coup attempt

The trial for the killing of a Turkish anti-coup soldier, who has been idolized for his resistance during a raid on the Special Forces Command in Ankara before he was killed by coup plotting soldiers, has started. 

Ankara 14th Heavy Penal Court on Feb. 21 started the trials of 18 suspects in the case regarding the murder of non-commissioned officer Ömer Halisdemir after he shot a pro-coup general, Semih Terzi, who arrived in the commandership to capture it as part of its coup activities on July 15, 2016, which is widely believed to have been masterminded by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Acting on his commander’s orders, Halisdemir shot Terzi dead outside the special forces’ headquarters in Ankara. He was later killed by the plotters.

Hundreds of babies born after the coup have been named after Halisdemir as a tribute, while hundreds of thousands have visited his grave. Parks, schools and other public places have been named after him, while a cottage industry of souvenirs to preserve his memory was founded.

Dressed in suits, they were escorted into the courthouse by paramilitary forces in front of cameras surrounded by heavy security and a water cannon truck.

The courtroom was packed with security forces including police with shields behind the suspects as the judge confirmed the identities of those on trial.

Some 18 suspects, who are currently being accused of deliberately killing the soldier and attempting to remove the government, are facing multiple life sentences.

HDP co-chair Demirtaş given jail term, MP arrested

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who is currently under arrest, was sentenced on Feb. 21 to five months in prison on charges of “insulting the state and its institutions,” while the party’s Diyarbakır Deputy İdris Baluken was arrested for a second time in Ankara.

The Doğubayazıt 2nd criminal court of first instance on Feb. 21 sentenced Demirtaş to five years in prison on charges of “denigrating the Turkish nation, the Turkish Republic and the institutions of the state.”

Police also detained Baluken following an appeal against his release in a case filed as part of a terror investigation on Feb. 21. He was later arrested.

He had previously been released on Jan. 30 after being arrested on Nov. 4, 2016. An arrest warrant was later issued for him.

The court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Feb. 17 had issued an arrest warrant for HDP Diyarbakır deputy Baluken.

The prosecutor’s office previously appealed the court decision on Baluken’s release pending trial on Jan. 30 to a higher court.

After reviewing the appeal, the Diyarbakır 1st court of serious crimes on Feb. 17 issued an arrest warrant for Baluken.

Baluken faces an aggravated life sentence and up to 23 years in prison on four separate charges, namely “disrupting the unity of the state and the country,” “being a member of armed terror organization,” “engaging terror organization propaganda” and “refusing to disperse despite warning in illegal demonstration and marches.”

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hdp-co-chair-demirtas-given-jail-term-mp-arrested-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=110006&NewsCatID=341

Germany: Hundreds pro-Erdogan & pro-Kurdish demonstrators clash across Germany

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570b12d5c36188f72e8b45d5(RT) German riot police used pepper spray and batons to subdue violent clashes that broke out as pro-Kurdish activists confronted participants in rallies supporting the Turkish government as they marched through several major cities on Saturday.

Demonstrations were held in Cologne, Nurnberg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and several minor German cities in response to the recent terror attacks in Ankara and Istanbul. They were organized under the motto “March of Peace for Turkey and the EU” by “AYTK” (European New Turks Committee). The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) and Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK), a militant splinter group, have claimed responsibility for some of the major terrorist bombings in Turkey that have recently killed dozens.

The activists were waving Turkish national banners as some shouted “Allah Akbar.” 

Hundreds of Kurds and German left party members staged counter-demonstrations, accusing the anti-PKK protesters of having ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nationalist ruling party, AKP, which has been clamping down on Kurdish populations in the southeast of Turkey through military force.

Cologne police detained 24 members of the two opposing groups as they threw firecrackers and bottles at each other and law enforcement, injuring at least five officers, DPA reports. The number of pro-Kurdish activists was estimated at 250, while several hundred demonstrators participated in the pro-Erdogan rally, far short of the announced target of 5,000.

https://youtu.be/hgQ5qFmjzAs

The protests in Stuttgart also took a violent turn, as rocks and firecrackers were hurled at police. Twelve officers and five activists were reported injured in the showdown.

In Hamburg, about 1,250 Kurdish and German activists demonstrated alongside some 200 Turks, Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper reports. The pro-Kurdish counter-demonstrators marched to the Turkish consulate under the slogan “For Tolerance and International Anti-fascism” to protest the “fascism” towards Kurds shown by Erdogan’s government.

READ MORE: German embassy, consulate close in Turkey over terror threat

Some 2,500 people heeded a call from AYTK to gather at Jakobplatz square in Nurnberg, while the number of counter-demonstrators amounted to 300. As local police succeeded in separating the rival crowds, no major incidents were reported, according to BR24 news site.

Heavy police presence ensured the peaceful nature of the rallies held in Munich, Hannover, Bremen, and Bielefeld.

PKK, which is banned in Turkey, has about 14,000 supporters in Germany, according to Der Tagesspiegel.

Murad Papazyan: Political competition observed between Armenian, Turkish communities of France

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f56f2652a0d53b_56f2652a0d55f.thumb”Armenians of France are preparing for the April 24. The events will call for restoration of justice  and restitution, rallies are expected in number of French cities, while the march planned in Paris will be organized along with the Government of  France,” co-Chairman of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France Murad Papazyan told reporters at a press conference.

Papazyan outlined their main mission to demonstrate to the world that the struggle of the Armenian people does end with Centennial Anniversary of the Genocide and they will continue their activity to address number of other matters.

Papazyan then noted there is a political competition between Armenian and Turkish communities in France.

”Turks are taking up measures to develop relations with the French President. However, François Hollande fully backs the Armenian National Committee, as we have constantly developed out relations with the French President over the last 3-4 years,” the speaker said.

Papazyan assured that the Armenian community of France is powerful and never quits its competition with the Turks. The speaker then reflected on the Azerbaijani lobbing in France carried out through squandering funds to gain success in the political circles.

Turkish scholar to speak on ‘A Kurdish Schindler: Story of a ‘Savior’’

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199422On November 6, doctoral candidate Umit Kurt from Clark University will give a talk on ‘A Kurdish Schindler: Story of a ‘Savior’’ at the University Business Center, Fresno, according to Massis Post. The lecture is part of the Armenian Studies Program Fall 2015 Lecture Series, supported by the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

According to the book, Cemil Kunneh was a lieutenant in the Ottoman Army and was assigned to be the director of the Birecik shipyard mill under the supervision of the Ottoman Fifth Army, commanded by Cemal Pasha, during the 1915 Armenian deportation and Genocide. In the shipyard mill, rafts and ferries were constructed for use by Ottoman soldiers to cross over the Euphrates River.

What historically makes Cemil Kunneh important is his relentless efforts to save Armenians, especially Protestants in Aintab, from being deported to Der Zor in 1915-1917. During the deportation, Cemil Kunneh married Dikranuhi (1893-1986), the daughter of Father Garabed Guleuzian, and saved her life by stopping her deportation to Der Zor. Kunneh met Dikranuhi during the deportation and married her. This lecture will focus on the efforts of this righteous person to save Armenians during the Genocide and also focus on his life-story with his wife Dikranuhi after the Genocide.

Umit Kurt is a PhD. Candidate at Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program in the History Department of Clark University and completing his dissertation. He has written extensive works on confiscation of Armenian properties, Armenian Genocide, early modern Turkish nationalism, and Aintab Armenians. He is the author of ‘The Great, hopeless Turkish race: fundamentals of Turkish nationalism in the Turkish homeland 1911-1916′ and editor of ‘The Revolt and Destruction: Construction of the state from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic and collective violence’. He teaches history at Sabanci University in Istanbul and with Taner Akcam is the co-author of ‘The spirit of the laws: the plunder of wealth in the Armenian Genocide’.

Related links:

Massis Post. Ümit Kurt to Speak on “ A Kurdish Schindler: Story of a ‘Savior’”

BANGKOK BOMBING Arrest warrant against a Turk

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The investigation into the attack in Bangkok was directed to Turkey Wednesday, with an arrest warrant against a Turk accused of being part of the “network” behind this unprecedented attack in Thailand after two weeks an investigation has struggled to take off.
“He is wanted for illegal possession of war equipment”, said Wednesday the spokesman of the national police, Prawut Thavornsiri. The man, described as Emrah Davutoglu, (…)