Freedom of Belief Initiative
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Activities
18 February Conference: Freedom of Expression & Freedom of Religion or Belief – The Case of Turkey
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee Freedom of Belief Initiative will organize a Conference on February 18, 2016, in cooperation with Ankara University Centre for Human Rights, entitled Freedom of Expression & Freedom of Religion or Belief – The Case of Turkey.…
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FoRB News
PM Davutoğlu Urges Parliament to Solve Alevi Community’s Problems
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, speaking at the fourth International Hacıbektaş Veli Ashura Event over the weekend, addressed Turkey’s Alevi community saying, “We should respect everyone who has different beliefs … Turkish tradition accepts different cultures living together.” He said that…
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FoRB News
Gov’t prepares to tackle Alevi Issue as Alevi Dede praises reforms
As the details of the government’s Alevi initiative become clearer ahead of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s planned visit to the Hacıbektaş district of Nevşehir province to attend a ceremony with the Alevi community, an Alevi dede – a religious leader…
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Activities
Open Letter to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu from the Norwegian Helsinki Committee / Freedom of Belief Initiative
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee / Freedom of Belief Initiative sent an open letter to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu calling for measures to be taken to bring the program, books and practice regarding the compulsory Religious Culture and Knowledge of Ethics…
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FoRB News
NHC:İÖG Seminar in Oslo
Mine Yıldırım presented the main findings of a recent report on freedom of religion or belief in Turkey, published by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. You can download the report here. One of the findings in the report is that many aspects…
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FoRB News
Syriac community receives deed for lands of Mor Gabriel Monastery
The lands of the historic Mor Gabriel Monastery located in Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin have been returned to the Syriac community, completing an important step in the slow-running restoration of the group’s property. “The process regarding the 12 parcels…
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FoRB News
Forum 18 / TURKEY: Religious freedom survey, January 2014
The Turkish government continues long-standing practices incompatible with its international obligations on freedom of religion or belief, despite opportunities for positive change, Forum 18 News Service notes in its religious freedom survey. For example, a long-standing crucial issue is that…
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FoRB News
Ekşisözlük (Sour Dictionary) contributors on trial for insulting religion
On January 14 2014, 27 contributors (out of 40 who are being prosecuted) to the EksiSözlük (Sour Dictionary)-one of Turkey’s most popular websites that publishes user-contributed content- were brought to trial under Article 216 (3) for denigrating Islam. The complaint…
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Activities
NHC: İÖG Report / “The Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Turkey Monitoring Report January-June 2013” now available in English
Freedom of religion or belief for followers of all beliefs and none – both minorities and the Islamic majority – remains key to the success of Turkey’s democratisation process. While selective reforms provide occasional improvements, they lag far behind providing…
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Activities
NHC: İÖG “Reform package fails to solve key freedom of religion issues”
On 30 September 2013, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented a democratization package to address some of the fundamental issues in the country, including freedom of religion or belief issues. “While the package includes positive elements, it falls short…
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