Around The World
Turkey Human Rights, Crackdown on Press Freedom Comes Under Renewed Scrutiny in Geneva

Last week, the UK-based International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR)and the Press Emblem Campaign held an information meeting in Geneva, to coincide with the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Turkey over hate crimes, minority, and LGBT rights, and press freedoms with a specific focus on the nation’s crackdown on these rights during the failed 2016 coup and the emergency rule that followed during which the government allegedly used its security powers to arrest thousands of people who opposed it.
Turkey’s human rights record was last reviewed in 2015 during the UPR. This was the third time in 10 years that Turkey’s record has come under review
Diplomats, minister, prominent members of Turkish media and human rights defenders – including those who have been forced into exile – were present at the event. Also in attendance was former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice Ambassador Stephen Rapp. Louise Pyne Jones, head of research, International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR) moderated the event. Two panels were held. The first was called “Press Freedom” and included Yavuz Baydar, editor-in-chief of Ahval; Evin Baris Altintas, journalist and blogger; and Massimo Frigo; senior Legal Advisor for International Commission for Jurists (ICJ). The second panel, “Human Rights Defenders,” included Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci; president of the Human Rights Foundation in Turkey; Nurcan Baysal, award-winning Turkish Human Rights Defender and Journalist; and Anne van Wezel, former co-chair EESC EU-Turkey Joint Consultative Committee.
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Following an attempted, and failed, “coup” against the ruling Justice and Development (AKP) Party in 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused many of his opponents and naysayers, including journalists who were critical of him and his government, of supporting terrorism and prosecuted many of them. Erdogan also suggested that the attempted coup was the work of exiled Imam Fethullah Gulen and his movement, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. Turkey has asked for the United States to extradite Gulen. Gulen has been living in the United States in a self-imposed exile since 1999. Over 250 people died as a result of the failed coup attempt.
Soon after the coup, Turkey implemented a state of emergency (SOE) which it said: “was put into effect in order to ensure the continuity of effective implementation of the measures for the protection of the rights and freedoms of our citizens, democracy and the rule of law.” However, the AK Party’s critics have maintained that the AK Party used the umbrella of its broader emergency powers and continuously postponed ending that state of emergency, in an attempt to destroy its political opposition.
Many journalists were apprehended under this state of emergency until it was lifted on July 19, 2018. As such, for three straight years, and up until 2019, the Committee to Protect Journalists ranked Turkey as the worst jailer of journalists in the world. According to Turkish, English, and Arabic-language news site Ahval, when China jailed 48 journalists to Turkey’s 47.
Nurcan Baysal, an award-winning Kurdish Human Rights Defender, Journalist, and contributor to Ahval, said she was even cautious with the words she used on the panel discussion for fear of punishment by the Turkish government. “We are censoring ourselves because of these fears,” Baysal said. “For example, before coming here I asked myself if I should use certain words, should I use the word invasion, or should I use the word war, because today in Turkey even to say war is forbidden,” she said. “Everything that I say has an effect on not only my life but of the lives of my children and family.”
Ahval editor in chief Yavuz Baydar said, “No state or power can decide who is a journalist, it is the domain for professional organizations and should always be separate from power.”
According to the IOHR, “In the previous UPR cycle of Turkey, the Turkish government officially supported 14 recommendations related to strengthening the legal framework on freedom of expression and 5 recommendations specifically related to bringing terrorism legislation in line with international human rights standards.
Hugh Williamson, the Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch recently said, “The huge number of journalists, politicians, and perceived government critics in prison and on trial flies in the face of the Turkish government’s public statements about the state of human rights in the country “Turkey’s disregard of human rights is a disservice to its citizens, who deserve to live with dignity and freedom.”
Meanwhile, Turkey’s state-run pro-government newspaper the Daily Sabah put out propaganda about the Erdogan government writing, “U.N. Human Rights Council highlighted Turkey’s achievements in the fields of judiciary, human rights and humanitarian causes on Tuesday during a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting in Geneva.”

Around The World
Norway Turns Against Dangerous COVID-19 Vaccines, Warns ‘Very Frail’ People Should Not Take the Shots
These vaccines can be deadly.

Health officials in Norway are now warning “very frail” people that they should not take the COVID-19 inoculation because of dangerous side-effects from the experimental shots.
Coronavirus hysteria skeptic Alex Berenson posted a translated version of an article from a Norwegian news outlet.
BIG news: Citing post-vaccination deaths, Norway now says “very frail” people should NOT receive the #Covid vaccine.
Norway reports 23 post-vaccine deaths (out of only 25,000 shots). After examining 13, it says “side effects from the mRNA vaccines… may have led to deaths.” pic.twitter.com/s1x668wSBI
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) January 14, 2021
“So far, the Norwegian Medicines Agency has assessed 20 adverse reaction reports after the COVID-19 vaccination. 13 of these had a fatal outcome, shows a new report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency,” the translated report states.
“If you are very frail, you should probably not be vaccinated, said subject director Steinar Maden in the Norwegian Medicines Agency at a webinar on coronary vaccine for journalists on Thursday,” it continues.
Negative side-effects from the vaccine included fever, malaise, and reactions at the injection site as well as gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The most common side-effects are respiratory symptoms including cough and shortness of breath.
“This is the first report on side effects from the Norwegian Medicines Agency, which will in future come with weekly side effect reports,” the report stated.
Big League Politics has been reporting on the terrible side-effects of experimental COVID-19 vaccines for many months now:
A group of doctors is urging the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make the public aware of the painful side effects that will come with the experimental COVID-19 vaccines that have been rushed through the testing process.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer of the American Medical Association (AMA) is worried that lying to the public will cause them not to pursue the full COVID-19 vaccine treatment, which is expected to take at least two doses.
“We really need to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park,” Fryhofer said during a virtual meeting with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of outside medical experts tasked with advising the CDC. “They are going to know they had a vaccine. They are probably not going to feel wonderful. But they’ve got to come back for that second dose.”
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, who works as director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, says their agency is working on providing a guidance of sorts for health care officials about the side-effects of the COVID-19 vaccines.
“How does that impact planning on a hospital level in terms of which staff gets vaccinated which day?” Messonnier said.
However, the CDC does not seem too concerned about educating the public about the dangers of these experimental vaccines…
The vaccine regime that is coming into place is a technocrat’s dream, with COVID-19 mass hysteria used to fuel this crazed push to inject the world with experimental shots.
As more people are stuck with this Big Pharma poison, the so-called conspiracy theorists are proven right with their concerns.
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