Turkish party leader says his arrest is part of a crackdown on Erdogan’s political opponents

Turkish party leader says his arrest is part of a crackdown on Erdogan’s political opponents
The leader of Turkiye’s Victory Party Umit Ozdag says he was arrested and detained on political grounds as part of an opposition crackdown that contradicts the government's purported effort to boost democracy while ending a Kurdish militant insurgency. (AFP/File)
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Updated 12 March 2025
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Turkish party leader says his arrest is part of a crackdown on Erdogan’s political opponents

Turkish party leader says his arrest is part of a crackdown on Erdogan’s political opponents
  • Umit Ozdag, leader of the Victory Party, is currently in jail pending trial on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan and inciting hatred
  • “Democracy cannot be established with illegal arrests and silencing,” he said

ISTANBUL: The leader of a Turkish nationalist party has said he was arrested and detained on political grounds as part of an opposition crackdown that contradicts the government’s purported effort to boost democracy while ending a Kurdish militant insurgency.
Umit Ozdag, leader of the Victory Party and known for his fierce opposition to the presence of millions of Syrian migrants in Türkiye, is currently in jail pending trial on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan and inciting hatred.
“Democracy cannot be established with illegal arrests and silencing,” he said in a hand-written statement responding to Reuters’ questions from his cell in Silivri prison in northwest Türkiye.
Erdogan’s office did not immediately respond to Ozdag’s claims about his arrest.
Opposition politicians have faced a series of legal probes, detentions and arrests in what critics say is a government effort to muzzle dissent and hurt their popularity among voters.
Last month Turkish police detained nine district municipal council members from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on terrorism-related charges and several pro-Kurdish DEM party mayors have been removed from their posts over convictions on terrorism-related offenses.
The government has repeatedly stated that the judiciary operates independently in response to criticism that arrests are politically motivated.
Opinion polls suggest Ozdag’s nationalist rhetoric, such as calling for an end to financial support for Syrian migrants and proposing that they be sent home, resonated with some voters. A survey by research firm Konda, carried out after his January arrest, showed support for his party rose to 6 percent in February — its highest ever — up from 4.6 percent in January.
In his first response to media queries since being detained seven weeks ago, Ozdag dismissed Ankara’s current effort to end a 40-year conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as “too good to be true.”
The PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan brought that goal one step closer last month when he called on the group’s commanders in Iraq to convene, disarm, and disband.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkiye and its Western allies, responded by agreeing to heed the call.
Ozdag linked his arrest to this ongoing process.
“I was arrested by the political decision of the government because I had studied terrorism issues as an academic for years before politics and was the party leader who best analyzed the politics carried out with the PKK,” he said.
Erdogan’s office did not respond to Ozdag’s claims about the PKK.
Previously, Ozdag has said in a statement on X that his party rejects the current process with the PKK, saying it had the potential to harm Türkiye’s national identity and unity.
Ending the insurgency would be a major achievement for Erdogan after past efforts failed to resolve a conflict in which more than 40,000 people have died since 1984.
Ocalan’s call may also boost Erdogan’s own political prospects. In order to extend his rule beyond 2028, when his last term as president ends, he would need the support of an opposition party, in order to amend the constitution or bring about early elections.

INTIMIDATION
Ozdag was detained in Ankara in January after he was accused of inflaming tensions during anti-refugee riots in Kayseri in the summer of 2022. The riots, which lasted a week, involved widespread vandalism.
Authorities say Ozdag’s statements on social media played a role in inciting the unrest. Ozdag denied this. The Konda Barometer’s February report found that three out of five people believe his detention is illegal.
Ozdag said the ruling alliance was using its engagement with Ocalan to burnish its democratization credentials with voters while continuing to silence political opponents and intimidate independent institutions.
It has not taken the needed steps for a lasting peace, he said.
“It is not clear what changes to the Constitution or laws will be required. Will there be an amnesty for PKK members? How will the YPG be treated?” he said, referring to the Kurdish militia in Syria that Ankara views as an extension of the PKK.
“There are too many dark points in this process,” he added.
Ozdag pointed to the investigation into leaders of TUSIAD, Türkiye’s leading business group, as further evidence of authorities’ disinterest in democratic reforms. “The entire business world has been intimidated through TUSIAD,” he said.


UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported

Updated 2 sec ago
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UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported

UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported
The troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to UNIFIL
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident

DUBAI: A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of UN troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to UN vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said.

The UN troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim.

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident, escorting the patrol back to base.

UNIFIL said the patrol had been pre-planned and coordinated with the LAF.

The UN peacekeeping mission stressed that its mandate, under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, guarantees freedom of movement in its area of operations with or without LAF accompaniment.

On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
Updated 38 min 23 sec ago
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British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

British doctor releases footage of aftermath of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital
  • Dr. Tom Potokar, consultant plastic surgeon, took video after 6 bombs killed 28 people at European Gaza Hospital
  • ‘It’s a direct hit on the hospital … Shrapnel everywhere … Absolute mayhem’

LONDON: A British doctor in Gaza has released footage showing the devastation caused by an Israeli airstrike on the European Gaza Hospital near the southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday.

Dr. Tom Potokar, a consultant plastic surgeon, shared the video with the BBC, documenting the aftermath of an attack by Israel on the facility. Six bombs were dropped on the hospital, killing 28 people.

Potokar, who has traveled to Gaza 16 times to provide vital treatment to Palestinians trapped in the enclave, described the footage as a “snapshot” of his experience working at the hospital.

In the video, he described an “absolutely massive strike … right in front of the emergency room,” as people ran and lay on the ground outside the hospital.

“Shrapnel everywhere. Devastation right in the forecourt of the hospital. Absolutely terrible,” he said in the footage.

In further scenes described as “absolute mayhem,” Potokar walked through the corridors of the hospital as medics, patients and other civilians tried to respond to the attack. 

“It’s a direct hit on the hospital,” he said, as screams echoed in the background and smoke billowed through the building.

Standing outside an operating theater, Potokar then turned the camera on himself to survey the damage, and said the facility was “too dangerous” to take people to be operated on, and staff were leaving to find shelter. He later reported that the hospital had been entirely evacuated.

Potokar told the BBC: “We’ve been treating patients with huge open wounds, some even with maggots in, infected, multiple amputations, children down to the age of two with significant nerve injuries, traumatic brain injuries.”

At least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Thursday, according to local authorities.


King of Jordan and US vice president discuss regional peace efforts

King of Jordan and US vice president discuss regional peace efforts
Updated 16 May 2025
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King of Jordan and US vice president discuss regional peace efforts

King of Jordan and US vice president discuss regional peace efforts

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and US Vice President JD Vance discussed current developments in the Middle East and emphasized the strategic partnership between their two countries during a phone call on Thursday, Petra, the Jordan News Agency, reported.

The king reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, and an end to hostilities in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

He also highlighted the vital role the United States has in the drive to achieve a lasting peace in the region through a two-state solution.

 


US ‘troubled’ by Gaza humanitarian crisis: Rubio

US ‘troubled’ by Gaza humanitarian crisis: Rubio
Updated 16 May 2025
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US ‘troubled’ by Gaza humanitarian crisis: Rubio

US ‘troubled’ by Gaza humanitarian crisis: Rubio
  • Secretary of state reiterates need for Hamas to release hostages, says it cannot continue to exist
  • ‘We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza’

LONDON: The US is “troubled” by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told the BBC.

The Palestinian enclave has been blocked from receiving food and other supplies by Israeli forces for the past 10 weeks. 

The blockade was imposed after Israel ended a ceasefire agreement that led to an exchange of hostages held by Hamas and prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Since then, Israel has conducted numerous strikes in Gaza, with an expanded second ground offensive expected in the coming weeks.

Rubio, who was in Turkiye at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, told the BBC: “We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there’s opportunities here to provide aid for them.”

He said Hamas needs to release all remaining hostages, and there is no prospect of peace while the group continues to exist.

Rubio’s words come amid talk of a dispute between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and after at least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, according to Gaza’s health authorities. 


Italy and UAE to announce AI hub deal on Friday

Italy and UAE to announce AI hub deal on Friday
Updated 16 May 2025
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Italy and UAE to announce AI hub deal on Friday

Italy and UAE to announce AI hub deal on Friday

MILAN: Italy and the United Arab Emirates will announce on Friday an agreement to develop an artificial intelligence hub in Italy, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said at an event in Milan.