Press Roundup

Star: “Shocking statements from professor,” was the headline of a front-page article in the daily yesterday which quoted remarks from history professor İlber Ortaylı, who spoke at a meeting of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over the weekend. Indicating that being a soldier-nation is the most important characteristic of the Turkish nation, Ortaylı said Europe wants the elimination of this characteristic from Turks. “We are a soldier-nation. There are efforts to pump enmity toward the military in Turkey. If there is no civilian politics, military coups are normal,” said Ortaylı. He also claimed that the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) Kurdish initiative, which aims to find a solution to Turkey’s Kurdish problem, was a futile attempt. Ortaylı also voiced opposition to the establishment of universities in every province, saying that locals were harassing students in those provinces, particularly in Anatolia.

Hürriyet: “She did not have even a photo,” the daily said in the headline of its main story yesterday, referring to Medine Memi, who was found dead after being buried alive by her father and grandfather for befriending boys. Not even a single photo of her exists. Memi would be 17 in two months, if she were alive. It was earlier reported that Memi was killed for having boyfriends, but later allegations suggested the reason behind her death was because she reported her grandfather’s violence against her to the authorities and paved the way for the police to seize the grandfather’s weapons. Police are being accused of failing to provide protection for the girl, the daily said.