Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Belgrade, Istanbul, Sarajevo

Journalist, Editor @BalkanInsight • Tweets on the Balkans, Europe and Turkey • Mostly in English and Türkçe; ponekad na bosanskom • @uni_of_essex alumnus

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Articles

Turkish Opposition Condemns Dismissal of Kurdish Mayors for Alleged Terror Ties

Nov 3, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government dismissed three mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, DEM, on November 4 due to ongoing terrorism investigations and prior convictions against them.
Europe’s Illiberal Leaders Embrace ‘Foreign Agents’ Laws as Tool to Stifle Criticism

Oct 24, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

People in Georgia will go to the polls on Saturday in hotly contested parliamentary elections that follow mass protests earlier this year against the government’s ‘transparency of foreign influence’ law. The controversial legislation, widely known as the ‘foreign agents law’, was introduced by the ruling Georgian Dream party despite criticism from the US and EU, and has been a key issue in the election campaign.
Fethullah Gulen, Ally-Turned-Enemy of Turkey’s Erdogan, Dies at 83

Oct 20, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Fethullah Gulen, leader of the global Gulen Movement, died on Sunday, aged 83 in the United States, where he had been living in self-imposed exile since 1999. The official website of the Gulen Movement, Herkul, announced his death, which family members also confirmed. “Our Hoca [Fethullah Gulen] passed away on October 20, 2024 at 21.20 [local time] in the hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for a while,” Herkul said in a statement.
Leading European Human Rights Activist Helen Darbishire Dies

Oct 18, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Tributes have been paid to Helen Darbishire, a human rights activist and founder of Access Info, an organisation that campaigns for the right of access to information, after she died on Friday. “It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that Access Info shares the passing of our Executive Director and founder, Helen Darbishire, on Friday 18th October,” Access Info announced.
Threats to Internet Freedoms Persist in Turkey and Serbia, Report Warns

Oct 15, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Washington-based rights organisation Freedom House’s latest report on internet freedoms worldwide, published on Wednesday, warned that in south-east Europe, censorship and misinformation are persistent problems in Turkey and Serbia. Online liberties in Turkey remain threatened by the actions of the government, Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2024 report said.
Turkish-American Acemoglu Shares Nobel Prize for Economics

Oct 14, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded on Monday to three university professors including Turkish-American economist Daron Acemoglu for their studies on prosperity gaps between nations. Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson shared the prize with Acemoglu. “This year’s laureates in the economic sciences – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson – have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity.
Turkey Blocks Access to Discord Online Platform Citing Child Safety Concerns

Oct 8, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced on Wednesday that Discord, an instant messaging and social media platform, has been blocked in Turkey by a court order. “A decision has been made to remove all publications from content and block access from Turkey to the specified URLs due to sufficient suspicion of the crimes of ‘child sexual abuse and obscenity,’” Tunc said on his X account. Tunc insisted that the decision has been made to protect children.
Floods and Landslides Leave 18 Dead in Bosnia

Oct 4, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Bosnia has declared a state of natural disaster after heavy rains caused floods and landslides on Friday that left at least 18 dead and cut transport links, officials said. Rescue operations are under way in the worst-hit parts of the country, the Herzegovina and Central Bosnia regions. However, by Friday evening rescuers were still not able to reach some areas due to bad conditions. The government announced extra funds and additional army units for the disaster area.
Far-Right Leader’s Threats Against Turkish Journalists Branded “Dangerous”

Oct 2, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

Threats made against journalists by a far right political ally of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are “dangerous”, according to a joint statement by media and human rights experts. On Tuesday Devlet Bahceli, leader of far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), made reference to four investigative journalists who were covering the high profile murder case of Sinan Ates, a MHP politician and former leader of the Grey Wolves, the party’s youth branch. “Halk TV and CHP, watch your step.
E-Government in the Balkans Still a Work in Progress: BIRN Report

Oct 1, 2024 | balkaninsight.com | Hamdi Firat Buyuk

The idea of ‘electronic government’, or e-government, is to eradicate queues, reduce paperwork and provide users with quicker, more convenient access to public services, from health to taxation and schooling.