Crisis, all eyes are suddenly on turkey. The country says it is crucial to help stem the flow of migrants to europe. The eu is trying to persuade turkey to police its borders better and improve conditions for millions of refugees already there. The hope is that this stops more migrants making their way to europe. In turn, brussels is offering sweeteners like Financial Aid and starting up stalled negotiation processes to get turkey to the eu. A winwin situation . Not quite. Politicians are desperate to resolve the refugee crisis and accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in turkey. In particular, and alleged government clampdown on dissent. The ensemble is performing an historical comedy tonight. It is about a sultan that tries to censor a theater groups performances. The similarities are intentional. The audience knows the actors are walking a thin line. For the city authorities, hes a public enemy. He lost the job that he held for 25 years because he made a public speech and wrote on the internet criticizing the government. He is pessimistic about freedom of expression in his cultural sector. The people in charge of the statesponsored theater are slaves to authority. They decide on the repertoire even though they know nothing about theater. Ive always expressed my opinion freely. I am a wellknown actor. Everyone knows i wont keep my mouth shut. Reporter now he can perform only with private theater groups. He knows he is relatively fortunate. Other people that criticize the government and up in jail or are subjected to violence. The play shows what its like in todays turkey. Theaters have no freedom anymore. Cabaret artists and sit terrorists are being stripped of their creative freedom. Satirists are being stripped of their creative freedom. Reporter a general election is scheduled for november but there is little evidence of any campaigning. The zero tolerance policy towards critics and recent terror attacks have deepened the rift between the president s opponents and his supporters. They refuse to listen to criticism of their leader. Whatever the akp does, its right. It has regain the absolute majority. Everyone makes mistakes. Including the government. They should take a look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are always right. A government should be treated with respect. Reporter we had to a city on the bulgarian border. A traditional secular stronghold. A student and his family talk about what happened at the rally for peace and democracy on october 10. He was just a few meters away from where two bombs exploded, killing over 100 people. There were body parts everywhere. We had to climb over them. We were in shock. We did not understand what happened. The people responsible for this bloodbath are the same people that instigate fear and say the country would plunge into chaos if it werent for them. Reporter the 22yearold has to be careful what he says. He was giving in all it he was given the 11 month suspended sentence for insulting the president. His case made headlines and he appeared in handcuffs. He called the president a thief and a murderer. I wanted to defend myself before the judge. I had spoken only two sentences when he cut me off. He said it was enough. He had already decided how to sentence me. I had no idea the legal system in this country had gone down the hill this badly. Reporter they run a leftwing cultural center. They cant even speak openly at the university anymo. All the professors are under pressure by the government. They pass on that pressure to us. We are increasingly restricted with what we can say. Reporter spiraling byrons violence and growing repression. They are swimming against the tide even though they could end up paying a high price. Back in the istanbul theater, the istanbul the sultan has been outwitted. He has appealed against his dismissal and is willing to take his case to the supreme court. Hes more determined to fight for the future of his country. Once again, they blame the people who criticize the government and the state is not to blame. It cant go on like this. The government sits back and says it did what it could protect the demonstrators. But it didnt. Democratic thinkers are preparing for the long haul. The curtain will not be falling on the akp anytime soon. Host ireland is a dangerous place to be pregnant according to one prochoice campaigner that once ireland to legalize abortion. Abortion is, in most cases, illegal ireland. Controversial statements that many people would not agree with. Prolife campaigners say it is morally wrong and should not be allowed. The fact remains that every day, one dozen irish women do have abortions but have to go abroad to make it possible. Making an already traumatic operation even worse. Pressure is growing to change the law, particularly from the women that suffered because of this. Reporter this woman does not want to reveal her identity. She wants to be known as lily. She got an abortion, a crime that could get her 14 years in prison. The fetus was severely impaired. The decision was not easy for lily and her husband. There were two options available to us. We could carry the baby to term. The baby would die after delivery. Or we could travel after the jurisdiction and have a turn a termination. We went for a long walk on the beach and quickly decided we did not have any other option but to travel to the u. K. Reporter she sought help in liverpool, sneaking across in secret. She and her husband are very careful about who they confide in. 2 only a small number only a small number of our family know. Other people we told we had a miscarriage because it is more socially acceptable. It is against the law here. There is that conflict. But i had to do what is right for me and my family. Its hard not to be able to explain what really happened. Reporter Amnesty International says irish women are forced to go abroad for abortions. Ireland has no jurisdiction over abortions carried out elsewhere but the society stigmatizes women and their doctors. Regardless of if there are prosecutions, to criminalize women and Health Professions when it comes to information or access it is a human rights violation. It is contrary to best practice and medical ethics as well. Reporter prenatal Counseling Centers are especially hard hit. Activists have been known to report anyone involved in aiding the abortion process, sometimes resorting to extreme methods like secretly videotaping counselors. Clients came in pretending to have an unfound pregnancy. Their intention is that we would be seen to be breaking the law by making phone calls or providing money. I was taped. We were all investigation investigated. It went to the courts. It was not brought to court. There was no case proven. Reporter supporters are often socially ostracized as potential murderers. Even if they are sick and the doctor says theyre going to die hours after theyre born, its still a life. I think even a short life or a sick life is life. Members of parliament agree with this view. 80 of the population is catholic. Polls show a large majority of irish citizens would favorite. It should be legal because its a womans body and its her right to choose. It is the oldfashioned voters that always show up to the referendums. We are not seeing very significant levels of public support and increasingly we are seeing political support. But we have a long way to go. Political leaders are very far behind Public Opinion on this issue. Reporter 4000 irish women are known to travel abroad for an abortion every year but the true figure may be much higher. Most western countries describe their laws as an expression of a womans right to decide over her own body. Lily and her husband felt like they had little choice. They knew the baby had virtually no chance of survival. The following afternoon, he was born. He was dead. It was late that night by the time i was returned to my room. My husband was there. He brought the baby in so he spent the night in the room with the baby. Reporter the Catholic Church effectively blocks the liberalization of the abortion laws. She is catholic but feels the church has failed her. If we had been able to have the termination here, we could of got him home and had a we ake or proper ceremony. He arrived by courier, a very undignified way to come home. Reporter she hopes she can bury her child in irish soil. Host such a painful and difficult issue which im sure many of you will have views on. Do let me know what you think about that or any of the stories on todays show. Thanks for all those that got in touch last week. Chris wrote to say that he found the story about norwegian prisoners moved to the netherlands very interesting. We dont answer any emails or tweets judged to be racist or prejudicial. The current refugee crisis has sparked some of those comments. But we do respond to everything else. Do drop me a line. When i lived in the former soviet state of georgia, the country had just fought a war with russia and the effects are still being felt. Thousands of georgians were forced to leave the territory and abandoned their homes. Friends say the situation is getting worse. Russian troops are gradually taking over north Georgian Land by slowly shifting the border. Its ordinary people being affected. One man went to bed in georgia and woke up to realize he was living against his will, in russia. Reporter a journey to a country that doesnt even exist. On the way to the border pastor refugee village past a refugee village. We can only approach the barb wire fence with police protection. Russian troops set up this border after the war in 2008. The georgian Border Guards tell us the russians keep moving it by a few centimeters. Over the years, they have built a large military base there. They have been reporting on the conflict for years. Once during life coverage, she and her camera team were threatened by russian soldiers. The Russian Occupation forces cameras are up in the trees. They saw that we had arrived without police protection. They came and told my cameraman that if he turned his lens in this direction, they would open fire. Reporter we can only approach the border fence escorted by border patrol. The journalist calls over to the farmer on the other side. She wont be intimidated. She regularly visits a georgian farmer who refuses to leave his home. But his border fence cuts him off from his fields on the georgian side. Two women came to visit us a while back. My wife and i had dinner with them. I dont know how the russians found out, but suddenly, they showed up at midnight. One of them sat on my bed while another looked under the bed. Reporter not even his own grandchildren are allowed to visit. His wifes health is suffering and she is feeling more and more isolated. They had been hoping things would have eventually returned to normal. That hope is fading fast. My daughter lives in georgia. The other side. Somehow, she managed to visit us. On the second day, people friend to arrest her if she came again. I asked if they were crazy. Shes my daughter. These people here are citizens of georgia. They cant even collect their pensions. If you consider this, you would say that area over there is occupied. Reporter he says he will never give up hope. He looks at his fields to the barb wire, hoping that one day, he will be allowed to work them again. Many georgians driven from their homes now live in the refugee camp down in the valley. Among them is georgie who used to be a welltodo farmer. He thought he could make a new start, but he keeps one cow on land that he doesnt own. He says the people here experience long ago what ukrainians are suffering now. The russians destroyed my house right down to the foundation. You cant even see the house ever stood there. I saw it on the internet. Only russians live there now. Reporter he says if he could, he would fight for his land but he knows full well this conflict cannot be resolved by force of arms. He realizes it is unlikely he will ever get his land back. Theres no going back to his old life. But his wife still clings to hope. God willing, someday we will return to our own land. I probably wont live to see it. But she might. Reporter they give their grandchildren a sense of where they came from. The family tries to live as well as they can in this settlement where all of the houses look alike. But not many of their neighbors come from their home village that no longer really exists. They were scattered up and down this heavily fortified border. Host terrible that so many people are still living like refugees in their own country so many years after the war. My hometown on the windy northwest coast of england is where people go to retire. Its not exactly nice weather there. But a lot of the old victorian houses are Nursing Homes for the elderly. When i was a teenager, i worked at a home where they had a cat where the residents loved. Research has since showed that animals are good for their physical and mental health. They fight loneliness and help keep elderly people alert. British Nursing Homes are going a step further. Theyll. Betsy. Honey. They are very popular at this old peoples home in new eng noh england. She says she usually associates hands with breakfast bigs or chicken filet. She is wondering why people are cuddling up to the birds. Every morning at 7 00, they let the hens out of there to. Of their coop. He does a headcount and he knows every chicken by name. Looking after his feathered friends as a pastime, but also a distraction. Life hasnt been easy since his wife was diagnosed with dementia. Being around the hens does are good. They make great pets. They are soft and dont bite. [indiscernible] reporter the project is the brainchild of joss forest. She wants her to man repeatedly call out womens names. But he wasnt calling his wife or daughters. He was calling his hens. It gave her the idea of giving them to residents for something to care for. Particularly for difficult to reach older men, it has reduced isolation, loneliness, it has generally improve the wellbeing. Theyve reported that it reduced Antipsychotic Medication which is a brilliant thing for us. Reporter she is relaxed and used to being in the limelight. Meanwhile, the men gather at the chicken to where 25 hens need feeding. The animals give the seniors something to talk about and help lonely residents find trends. Find friends. It is a good project. There have been some very good people. People have come out of their bungalows. Even in the winter, coming over to make sure the hens are all right. Reporter that is Something Else they do. It take the birds on tour to help others. Visiting a home for people with alzheimers. They just hatched and are soft and warm to touch. Often bringing back lost memories. And that does the seniors good. The project has attracted a lot of attention. Organizers have received inquiries from germany. They are using and power to help people overcome their loneliness. People should know the whole project. Reporter that is why residents at the retirement home like to give a hen a cuddle. Because it makes them happy. Host birds bringing a bit of social life to the elderly. All new meeting whole new meaning to the phrase hen party or cope to get i. Do get in touch with your thoughts. I can be reached the email, twitter, or the station website. We will see you next week, same time, same place. n[qupowowu uu . . . . ovivddh this program is brought to you in part by cie tours international; for over 80 years featuring all inclusive tours and go as you please value vacations throughout ireland and britain, cietours. Com. Hello and welcome. Im patricia o