On 21 September 2017, Halla Barakat, a 23-year-old American journalist, and her 62-year-old mother Orouba Barakat, a Syrian national, were murdered in their own home in Istanbul. Their throats had been cut and their bodies covered with blankets. Nine days later, Turkish police arrested a suspect – Ahmed Barakat – in Bursa and he was […]
A former North London MP has empathised with Turkey’s refugee plight and called for more support from Europe and NATO towards its “key strategic partner”. In a letter to the Financial Times last week (Turkey needs support from Europe and NATO, March 25), Nick de Bois argued that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu was “right […]
A rescue mission was mounted off the eastern coast of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) in the early hours of Saturday, 21 March, after a boat carrying 175 Syrian refugees hit rocks and started to sink. The Turkish Cypriot emergency services were able to rescue all those trapped at sea, including 69 children, […]
Dr Andrew Murrison, Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, visited Ankara and Gaziantep, Turkey, on February 5th and 6th 2020, to discuss a raft of regional issues, with the worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib, Syria, topping the agenda. In Ankara, the Minister met with Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, […]
The race was on to save dozens of refugees after the alarm was raised that a boat carrying 150 passengers was capsizing in the East Mediterranean, 16 miles north of the Karpaz Peninsula. 105 people were helped to safety by Turkish air and sea rescue teams on Tuesday morning. However, 26 people remain missing, […]
A film made in Turkey about the lives of gay Syrian refugees has picked up the Best Documentary Award at the Mix Milano Film Festival. It is the latest accolade in a string of awards and honourable mentions for Mr Gay Syria. Producer Ekin Çalışır posted the news on Facebook and wrote: “So proud to […]
On Friday, 16 March, singer-songwriter Djanan Turan released a new single Dünya, dedicating it to a peaceful world for children. As part of the world premiere of Dünya’s music video on the same day, Djanan also launched a fundraising campaign for Small Projects Istanbul, which supports refugee children from Syria and Palestine now living in Turkey. […]
Many of us have felt concern at the terrible plight of Syrian refugees. Since war broke out in 2011, millions of people have been displaced from their homes, split in refugee camps across neighbouring countries in the region. An estimated 3 million have settled in Turkey and while they no longer have to worry […]
With no end in sight for the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time, the UK branch of the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD UK) are organising a seminar in the British Parliament to discuss the Syrian refugee crisis. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011, Turkey has become a safe haven for hundreds of […]
Oklava and Yosma are among some fifty British eateries hoping to make a difference through dining. Throughout the month of November, each restaurant is adding a Syrian dish to their menus to raise money in aid of UNICEF’s Syrian Relief Fund, while also shining a more positive light on war-torn Syria by celebrating its delicious […]
