Turkey

Date: June 19th, 2002 |

The trial of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullan Ocalan is scheduled to begin May 31. His arrest in February prompted several terrorist bombings in Istanbul, one of which killed 13 people in a department store. The attacks caused a significant decline in tourism to Turkey, with many hotels nearly empty and coastal resorts, where there have [read more]

Turkey

Date: December 19th, 2001 |

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The death sentence imposed on Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has spurred, as threatened, a wave of bombings in Turkey. Three major attacks have occurred since the sentence was handed down June 29. A suicide bomber killed herself and injured 17 outside a police station in the southern city of Adana July 5; a bomb [read more]

Turkey

Date: November 1st, 2001 |

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The full death toll in the Aug. 17 earthquake that devastated western Turkey may never be known, but more than 12,000 people died and many thousands more are missing. Emergency personnel are working furiously to bury the dead to prevent the outbreak of disease. Travel to the affected areas, including Golcuk, Izmit, Kocaeli, and Yalova, [read more]

Turkey

Date: September 20th, 2001 |

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An appeals court upheld the death sentence for Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan Nov. 25. When he was captured last February his followers carried out several terrorist attacks in Turkey, but his calls for peace from prison produced a cease-fire that has largely held. The case will be appealed to the European Court of Human [read more]

Turkey

Date: August 6th, 2001 |

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The devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey last year have increased the likelihood of a major temblor hitting Istanbul, a renowned historical center and city of 12 million people. The chances of a major earthquake in the next 30 years are about the same as in San Francisco or Los Angeles. But getting caught in a [read more]

Turkey

Date: May 13th, 2002 |

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Security has been tightened throughout Turkey since the arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan in February, but bombings blamed on the PKK Kurdish separatist group have rattled Ankara and Istanbul in recent weeks. The worst incident occurred in an attack in a shopping center on the outskirts of Istanbul that killed 13 people March [read more]

Turkey

Date: November 1st, 2001 |

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Following the request of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who was sentenced to death in June for his insurgent activities, Kurdish rebels agreed to an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal from southeastern Turkey. Whether this move actually produces a cessation of hostilities remains to be seen. If it does, it could well end terrorist bombings in Turkey, [read more]

Turkey

Date: September 20th, 2001 |

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The magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck Duzce and Bolu Nov. 12 devastated both cities, destroying some 300 buildings. Strong aftershocks are expected, and travel to the immediate vicinity about 115 miles east of Istanbul should be avoided. Travel throughout the rest of Turkey, however, should not be [read more]

Turkey

Date: September 4th, 2001 |

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Police detained hundreds of protesters across Turkey Sept. 1 who had gathered to demonstrate on World Peace Day. The actions were a clampdown on supporters of the main Kurdish party, HADEP, which campaigns for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question. Tensions were increased by jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, who released a message calling [read more]

Turkey

Date: May 30th, 2001 |

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Thousands of Turks across the country took to the streets to protest an economic crisis that is heading into its third month, demanding the government resign if it can’t solve the problem. The Turkish lire has lost 70 percent of its value in recent weeks and labor unions, truck drivers and students are leading the [read more]