Articles and Interviews
-
#WEREMEMBER: HOLOCAUST TESTIMONIES
The stories of Holocaust survivors are a clear reminder of the need to combat injustice, hate motivated policies and discrimination.
Read More » -
Our statement on the lynching campaign against Fatma Yavuz
Human rights defender Fatma Yavuz has been subjected to smear and lynching campaigns in both the media and social media. We stand by Fatma Yavuz, who has been dangerously targeted.
Read More » -
Holocaust Remembrance Day: #WeRemember
World War II, one of the darkest periods in world history, is remembered for the Nazis’ mass annihilation policy against groups considered outside of the “superior race”. During the Holocaust, which can be described as the most extreme example…
Read More » -
Interview: Lawyer Sebu Aslangil “election of new board members for the non-muslim community foundations critical for their livelihood.”
Mine Yıldırım (MY) – Can you tell us about the inability of non-Muslim community foundations’ to elect new board members? Sebu Aslangil (SA) – Community foundations are not foundations established under the Civil Code of the Turkish Republic, but are…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
İÖG (Turkey) / FoRB Initiative Interview with Hülya Üçpınar on the Right to Conscientious Objection in Turkey
İÖG (Turkey) / FoRB Initiative – Can you describe the general picture of conscientious objection in Turkey? How many conscientious objectors are there? How many have declared their conscientious objections? How many are there who are incarcerated? Hülya Üçpınar –…
Read More » -
İÖG (Turkey) / Freedom of Belief Initiative Interview with agnostik.net Editor on Freedom of Thought, Religion or Belief in Turkey
İÖG (Turkey) / FoRB Initiative): What does it mean to be agnostic, could you explain that? How many agnostics are in Turkey? Annatar: Agnosticism is a philosophical movement that is associated with Thomas Huxley, a biologist in the 1800’s. This…
Read More » -
İÖG (Turkey) / Freedom of Belief Initiative Interview with Atheist Forum Editor
İÖG (Turkey) / FoRB Initiative): How many atheists/agnostics do you estimate are in Turkey? Is there official data or research on which this estimate is based on? The general thought is that the percentage of atheists in Turkey is…
Read More » -
Interview with Zekai Tanyar, the Chair of the Association of Protestant Churches
The Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey which represents most of the churches of the small Protestant community has published its 2011 Report on rights violations faces by Protestants in Turkey. We talked to the Chair of the Association, Zekai…
Read More »