AS ANTI-GOVERNMENT protests continue to grow, revolutionary forces in Turkey warned today of the state’s attempts to break the backbone of their resistance.
Sixty-five people were detained in Istanbul last week after a press conference announcing the launch of a new opposition alliance, the United Fighting Forces (BMG).
Many of those hauled into custody will appear in court tomorrow. There have been allegations of torture during their four days of interrogation by security services.
The new alliance, which includes the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), Partizan, the Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), has been hailed as a major step in uniting Turkey’s revolutionary forces against state oppression.
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Last Updated On: Dec 18 2020 08:06 Gmt+3
The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced a reshuffle of its ambassadors abroad, and one of those being replaced is Turkey’s ambassador to the United States Serdar Kılıç. His successor was announced to be Murat Mercan, the current Turkish ambassador to Japan.
Kılıç has served in Washington since 2014, where his tenure became defined by his combativeness against critics of Turkey. In a sense, he grew into a fitting frontman for the new, tenser U.S.-Turkish relations that marked the past few years.
“As ambassador, Kılıç was well suited to an era in which Ankara wasn’t trying too hard to make any friends in Washington,” said Nicholas Danforth, an expert on Turkey and senior visiting fellow at the U.S. German Marshall Fund.