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DW
06-08-2025
- Politics
- DW
Turkey arrests youth activist after Council of Europe speech – DW – 08/06/2025
Enes Hocaogullari had spoken at the Council of Europe against police violence and "democratic backsliding" in Turkey. The Strasbourg-based organization called for his immediate release. Turkish police have arrested a youth activist after he criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. His arrest comes amid a crackdown on Erdogan's main political opponents, with more than 500 detained in nine months. Enes Hocaogullari was detained on Tuesday night at Ankara's Esenboga Airport as he arrived from France, his lawyer said. Turkey is one of 46 members of the Council of Europe, an international organization aimed at upholding human rights based in France. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The 23-year-old LGBTQ+ advocate gave a speech in Strasbourg in March criticizing police violence and "democratic backsliding" in Turkey, saying. "The youth has had enough... We are ready to go on the streets to regain our freedoms," he said. Reuters news agency reported, citing a court document, that he was held on charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information" and "inciting hatred and enmity." The Council of Europe's congress of local authorities said on Wednesday called for immediate release. "The Congress has already expressed deep concern about the state of democracy in Turkey and called on the Turkish authorities to stop prosecuting and detaining elected representatives from opposition parties," Congress President Marc Cools said in a statement. "This new attack on a youth delegate for having legitimately exercised the right to express their views in a pluralistic public debate, is scandalous and unacceptable."
Daily Maverick
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Turkey arrests youth activist, drawing European protest
Turkey has arrested an LGBTQ+ youth activist over criticism he made abroad at Europe's main rights body about the repression of opponents by President Tayyip Erdogan's government. Enes Hocaogullari, 23, gave a speech in Strasbourg in March criticising police violence and detentions plus democratic backsliding in Turkey, saying: 'The youth has had enough … We are ready to go on the streets to regain our freedoms.' He was detained on Tuesday night on arrival from France at Ankara's Esenboga Airport pending trial on charges of 'publicly disseminating misleading information' and 'inciting hatred and enmity,' according to a court document seen by Reuters. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office cited his March remarks about detained opposition mayors, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the basis for the case. Erdogan's main political opponents have faced an unprecedented crackdown that has seen more than 500 detained in nine months. The president says the arrests tackle corruption. The Council of Europe rights body's congress of local authorities said on Wednesday the charges against Hocaogullari were a reprisal for his words and urged his immediate release. 'The Congress has already expressed deep concern about the state of democracy in Turkey and called on the Turkish authorities to stop prosecuting and detaining elected representatives from opposition parties,' Congress President Marc Cools said in a statement. 'This new attack on a youth delegate for having legitimately exercised the right to express their views in a pluralistic public debate, is scandalous and unacceptable.' The Turkish government did not comment on the case. Ankara has previously rejected Western criticism of its rights record, accusing European institutions of bias and interference. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights body.
Ya Libnan
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Putin Chickens Out, won't attend Ukraine peace talks as Zelensky waits for him in Turkey
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to the media upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Huseyin Hayatsever Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend peace talks in Turkey Thursday even though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier challenged him and said he was willing to sit down face-to-face with the pugilistic strongman to try to negotiate an end to the brutal Russia-Ukraine war that has raged on since the Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky challenged Russian president Putin for face to face talks for ending the war in Ukraine . He is shown here with Turkish president Erdogan in Ankara Although U.S President Donald Trump had hinted that he might show up if things looked promising, he has now nixed those plans, considering Putin will be a no-show : U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years on Thursday, the Kremlin sending instead a group of technocrats. Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday 'without any preconditions.' Late on Wednesday, the Kremlin said the delegation would include presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Russian delegation 'low rank' Zelenskiy said that the level of the Russian delegation despatched to Turkey for talks was low rank and had an unclear mandate. 'The level of the Russian (delegation) is not known officially to me but from what we see, it looks more like it's on a decorative level,' Zelenskiy said. 'We need to understand what kind of level the Russian delegation is, and what mandate they have and whether they can make any decisions.' Asked what his message to Putin would be, he said: 'I'm here . I think this is a clear message.' According to reliable sources in Moscow , Putin is concerned over being arrested and for this reason he avoids international travel and he is trying to avoid any embarrassment by Trump who may press him for a deal News Agencies
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ukraine's Zelensky arrives in Turkey for high-stakes peace talks — but Putin is absent
A low-ranking Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, while a Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelensky and including other senior government figures landed in the Turkish capital Ankara. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not part of the Moscow delegation, according to a list released by the Kremlin Wednesday night, prompting criticism from Western officials that the Kremlin isn't serious about the peace effort. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, will lead the Russian team that will also include three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as 'experts' for the talks. 7 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to members of the media upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on May 15, 2025. REUTERS Earlier this week, Zelensky challenged the Russian leader to meet in person in Turkey to talk about ending the more than three-year war. Zelensky said he would travel to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and wait for Putin. Also in the Ukrainian delegation are Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons as the team had not yet arrived in Ankara. 'Now, after three years of immense suffering, there is finally a window of opportunity,' Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a NATO meeting taking place separately in Turkey. 'The talks in Istanbul hopefully may open a new chapter.' But Zelensky will sit at the table only with Putin, Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said. 7 Russian President Vladimir Putin was not part of the Moscow delegation. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Details about whether, when and where the Ukrainian delegation might meet their Russian counterparts are still unclear but is expected to be clarified after Zelensky and Erdogan meet, according to a Ukrainian official who requested anonymity to speak openly about the day's plan. Tass said that the talks were to take place in a presidential office on the Bosporus. Moscow offered talks instead of a ceasefire Putin on Wednesday evening held a meeting with senior government officials and members of the delegation in preparation for the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov, and National Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu attended the meeting, among others. 7 Firefighters work at the site of a private enterprise hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on the outskirts of Sumy, Ukraine on May 15, 2025. via REUTERS Kyiv and its European allies had urged the Kremlin to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a first step toward peace. Putin effectively rejected the proposal, offering direct talks between Russia and Ukraine instead. The Kremlin billed Thursday's talks as a 'restart' of peace negotiations that were held in Istanbul in the first weeks of the war in 2022 but quickly fell apart. Moscow accused Ukraine and the West of wanting to continue fighting, while Kyiv said Russia's demands amounted to an ultimatum rather than something both sides could agree on. Russia's delegation then was also headed by Vladimir Medinsky. Putin's proposal came after more than three months of diplomacy kick-started by US President Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the devastating war swiftly. 7 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) arrives for an informal meeting of The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) foreign ministers ahead of potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey, in Antalya, on May 15, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 7 Earlier this week, Zelensky challenged the Russian leader to meet in person in Turkey to discuss ending the more than three-year war. REUTERS The Trump administration in recent weeks indicated that it might walk away from the peace effort if there was no tangible progress soon. Trump had pressed for Putin and Zelensky to meet in Istanbul but said Thursday he wasn't surprised that Putin was a no-show. He brushed off Putin's decision to not take part in the talks. 'I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there,' Trump said during a roundtable in Doha, Qatar The US and Western European leaders have threatened Russia with further sanctions if there is no progress in halting the fighting. 7 Zelensky said he would travel to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and wait for Putin. AP NATO ministers back Ukraine Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Senator Lindsey Graham in the Turkish city of Antalya late Wednesday night. Antalya on Thursday is hosting NATO foreign ministers to discuss new defense investment goals as the US shifts its focus to security challenges away from Europe. Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine's support for Trump's mediation efforts and thanked the US for its continued involvement, urging Moscow to 'reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps' toward peace. 'So far, it has not,' Sybiha said. 7 A Russian Army soldier carries ammunition, preparing a 152mm howitzer Giatsint-B to fire towards Ukrainian positions in Ukraine on May 15, 2025. AP On Thursday morning, Sybiha also met with other European foreign ministers, including his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, who in a post on X reiterated the call for a ceasefire and the threat of 'massive sanctions' if Russia doesn't comply. 'We're in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in the future,' Rubio said Thursday. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, also in Antalya for the NATO talks, accused Moscow of not being willing to to engage in a serious peace process. 'We have one chair empty, which is the chair of Vladimir Putin. So now I guess the entire world has realized that there's only one party not willing to engage in serious peace negotiations, and that certainly is Russia,' Valtonen said. Barrot echoed her sentiment: 'In front of Ukrainians there is an empty chair, one that should have been occupied by Vladimir Putin,' he said. 'Vladimir Putin is dragging his feet and in all evidence does not want to enter into these peace discussions.'
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Zelensky describes Russia's delegation to peace talks as 'decorative'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy talks to members of media upon his arrival at Esenboga Airport on May 15. PHOTO: REUTERS KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 that Ukraine would decide on the next steps in talks with Russia after his meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Mr Zelensky told reporters at Ankara's airport that the level of the Russian delegation dispatched to Turkey for talks was low rank and had an unclear mandate. "The level of the Russian (delegation) is not known officially to me but from what we see, it looks more like it's on a decorative level," Mr Zelensky said. "We need to understand what kind of level the Russian delegation is, and what mandate they have and whether they can make any decisions." Mr Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation included his foreign minister, military and intelligence chiefs, and also senior officials from his office. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
