By Carlotta Gall
Istanbul - In two surprise midnight decrees, (click here) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey from an international treaty on preventing violence against women and removed the head of the central bank, moves likely to please his followers but further estrange him from Western partners.
Mr. Erdogan had floated the idea of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention, for more than a year as he courted conservative and nationalist followers to shore up his flagging popularity. Women’s groups immediately announced a protest rally on Saturday afternoon.
The president, who has increasingly insisted on greater control over the Central Bank, appears to have opposed a raising of interest rates last week by the central bank chief, Naci Agbal.
Mr. Erdogan has steadily concentrated more authority into his own hands over his 18 years in power. His latest actions, overnight between Friday and Saturday, came amid a flurry of attacks on political opponents that seem intended to solidify his political base....
Mr. Erdogan had floated the idea of withdrawing from the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention, for more than a year as he courted conservative and nationalist followers to shore up his flagging popularity. Women’s groups immediately announced a protest rally on Saturday afternoon.
The president, who has increasingly insisted on greater control over the Central Bank, appears to have opposed a raising of interest rates last week by the central bank chief, Naci Agbal.
Mr. Erdogan has steadily concentrated more authority into his own hands over his 18 years in power. His latest actions, overnight between Friday and Saturday, came amid a flurry of attacks on political opponents that seem intended to solidify his political base....
President Biden has been involved in efforts to end domestic violence that includes the use of guns to kill women that have been abused by their husbands or significant other. Turkey is an ally through NATO. It is unthinkable that President Erdogan did this. Turkey in some ways is becoming a worry.
Turkey’s sudden and unwarranted withdrawal (click here) from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is deeply disappointing. Around the world, we are seeing increases in the number of domestic violence incidents, including reports of rising femicide in Turkey, the first nation to sign the convention. Countries should be working to strengthen and renew their commitments to ending violence against women, not rejecting international treaties designed to protect women and hold abusers accountable. This is a disheartening step backward for the international movement to end violence against women globally.
Gender-based violence is a scourge that touches every nation in every corner of the world. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen too many examples of horrific and brutal assaults on women, including the tragic murders in Georgia. And we’ve seen the broader damage that living under the daily specter of gender-based violence does to women everywhere. It hurts all of us, and we all must do more to create societies where women are able to go about their lives free from violence.
I am so proud of these women in Turkey. They are taking on the fight for their rights. Evidently, the color purple is growing to be a political issue. This effort proves the international convention was valued in Turkey by all the right people, women.
By Zeynep Bilginsoy
Istanbul - Turkey withdrew early Saturday (click here) from a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence that it was the first country to sign 10 years ago and which bears the name of its largest city.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s overnight decree annulling Turkey’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a blow to women’s rights advocates, who say the agreement is crucial to combating domestic violence. Hundreds of women gathered at demonstrations across Turkey on Saturday to protest the move....
