Türkiye Arrests Swedish Journalist over Alleged Terrorist Connections to a Pro-Kurdish Group
Joakim Medin of the daily Dagens ETC was detained as he arrived at Istanbul airport on Thursday and placed under arrest on Friday on charges of 'membership in a terrorist organization' and 'insulting the president.'
The Counter Disinformation Center, part of the Turkish Presidency's Communications Department, said in a statement that Medin's arrest was 'not over his journalism activities.'
The Center accused Medin of taking part in a rally in Stockholm on January 11, 2023 attended by supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which included an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reported The Associated Press.
The PKK has waged a 40-year insurgency in Türkiye which has cost tens of thousands of lives and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies. A peace initiative between the Turkish state and the PKK was initiated in October, and the organization declared a ceasefire at the beginning of March upon a call to do so by its imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The Ankara Public Prosecutors Office launched an investigation into the 2023 Stockholm rally two days after it was held, and identified 15 suspects including Medin who had organized, participated or covered the event according to the Counter Disinformation Center.
It added that Medin also facilitated communication between the PKK and the press.
Over a dozen journalists have been detained in Türkiye this past week as part of a crackdown on media workers covering Türkiye's largest protests in more than a decade.
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Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Recognition of Palestine: a strategic recalibration of the global conscience
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They understand that Palestinian self-determination is not a gift to be granted, it is a legal and moral right enshrined in the UN Charter and countless international resolutions. Recognition of Palestinian statehood is therefore not a reward to be handed out for good behavior or used as a bargaining chip; it is an act to rectify historical injustice and realign global diplomacy with its own professed principles. The momentum building in Europe is particularly instructive. France, traditionally cautious on the issue, is now at the forefront of this diplomatic shift. Ireland and Spain, longtime advocates for Palestinian rights, have already shifted from rhetoric to action. Malta has followed suit, and the British Parliament has witnessed growing calls for recognition of Palestine, with many MPs now urging the government to match its verbal commitment to a two-state solution with a concrete policy to achieve it. This surge in recognition efforts also carries real strategic weight. It signals a broader divergence from a decades-old transatlantic consensus, dominated by Washington, that has consistently blocked the admission of Palestine to the UN as a full member (it currently has observer status), and shielded Israeli authorities from accountability at the International Criminal Court for their actions. By recognizing the State of Palestine without Israeli consent, these nations are not only challenging an obsolete consensus, they are actively reshaping it. Indeed, the cumulative effect of these recognitions could transform the diplomatic landscape; they help strengthen the Palestinian Authority's claim to full sovereignty, and enable greater Palestinian participation in multilateral institutions. Enhanced status at the UN and other international organizations would empower Palestinians to bring legal claims against Israeli authorities for their actions, including those related to settlement expansion, war crimes and the blockade on Gaza. This would subject Israel's conduct to international scrutiny in ways it has long sought to avoid. By recognizing the State of Palestine without Israeli consent, these nations are not only challenging an obsolete consensus, they are actively reshaping it. Hani Hazaimeh Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all stepped forward to provide aid to Gaza, distinguishing themselves as regional powers committed not only to humanitarian relief but to a recentering of the Palestinian issue in global discourse. This Arab engagement is not peripheral, it is foundational to any long-term regional solution. But the central question remains: Will Israel and the US bow to this evolving international consensus? All the signs suggest they will continue to resist, at least in the short term. The Netanyahu government, propped up by a coalition of ultranationalists and religious extremists, continues to treat Palestinian statehood as an existential threat rather than a diplomatic necessity. Its response to international recognition efforts has been to double down on its own maximalist policies: expansion of settlements, tightening of its grip on East Jerusalem, and now the expansion of its unrelenting military campaign in Gaza that has shocked even its closest allies. The Trump administration, for its part, remains hesitant to act. Washington's reluctance to endorse recognition stems in part from domestic political considerations, and in part from its historical alignment with Israel's security narrative. However, the erosion of America's credibility as an 'honest broker' is accelerating. As more democracies recognize Palestine, the US risks diplomatic isolation on an issue where it once claimed moral leadership. There is, nonetheless, a growing awareness within Washington that the status quo is unsustainable. 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Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
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Saudi Gazette
3 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
Germany halts arms sales to Israel after Gaza takeover plan approved
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