Bombings, Arrests in Turkey as Government Battles Opponents

 

Officials in Turkey say police have detained over 500 people since Monday because of their suspected ties to Kurdish militants¹.

Members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second largest opposition² group, are reported to be among the detained.

Police launched raids across the country after a group called the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons³ claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks. Turkish officials accuse the group of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is banned in the country.

The bombs exploded late Saturday near a sports center in Istanbul. The explosions killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 150 others. Officials say the blasts targeted security officials.

The government has often accused the HDP of being an extension of the PKK. The top HDP official was among those arrested in Ankara. Other leaders of the party, the second largest opposition group in parliament, are in jail over reported ties to the PKK.

The bombings come after months of fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claim the bombings were meant to answer state violence in the southeast, reported the Associated Press.

Amnesty Report

Last week, the rights group Amnesty International published a report criticizing Turkey for displacing up to half a million people.

Amnesty International's report focused on Diyarbakir, the main city in the country's southeast. It described months of fighting between the PKK and Turkish security forces in the Sur district.

The writer of the report, Andrew Gardner, said that many people were forced from their houses with very little warning. He noted⁴ that in some cases, children have not been able to go to school.

The report claims 24,000 people in Sur were forced from their homes and about 2,000 properties have been destroyed. Under international law, Amnesty says, the government must let people return home.

Turkish Government Response

The mayor of Sur was accused of supporting terrorism, and was removed from office. Bilal Ozkan, the state-appointed replacement⁵, said in October that the government would respect the right to return.

"Our duty is to fix the infrastructure⁶ and give it back to the people here. The owner of Diyarbakir is its inhabitants, the owner of Sur are its inhabitants. There is definitely no plan for pushing our citizens further away," Ozkan said.

The Amnesty report said that the Turkish government has taken control of over 60 percent of the Sur district under emergency legislation.

Gardner said there is little evidence that the government plans to honor its promise to let the local population return.

The bombings in Istanbul mean that a quick return for the district’s inhabitants is even less likely.

Words in This Story

displace -- v. to force (people or animals) to leave the area where they live?

focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific

infrastructure – n. the system of roads and other public services in a country or state

inhabitants – n. people who occupy a place for a long period

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。