Turkish opposition continues to contest referendum results

For FSRN: The government of Turkey carried out a fresh series of raids this week, arresting another 1000 people and purging the police force of more than 9000 officers allegedly connected to the US-based cleric who President Recip Tayyip Erdogan blames for last summer’s attempted coup. The country remains under a state of emergency, extended after protesters took to the streets decrying what they say was fraud in the recent referendum. The plank of constitutional reforms that would grant President Erdogan much of the powers…Continue Reading “Turkish opposition continues to contest referendum results” →

Islamabad looks to clear settlements housing tens of thousands displaced by conflict

For FSRN: Listen to the story: After mass protests, officials in Pakistan’s capitol of Islamabad have postponed plans to evict nearly 80,000 people from unrecognized settlements there. Many of the residents are ethnic Pashtuns from the region bordering Afghanistan. Some blame Pashtuns for the Taliban insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of Pakistanis. Officials want to clear the shantytowns, saying they are safe havens for militants. But residents say they are the target of scapegoating and ethnic tensions. Umar Farooq reports from Islambad. Thousands…Continue Reading “Islamabad looks to clear settlements housing tens of thousands displaced by conflict” →

Families of Missing Baloch March on Islamabad

For FSRN: Listen to the story here: Thousands of relatives of missing persons and their supporters arrived in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad today. It’s the end of a 105-day march by activists who say their own government has failed to explain the whereabouts of thousands of Baloch it took into custody in the last decade. Umar Farooq reports from Islamabad. Ten-year-old Ali Haidar Baloch has walked more than 1,200 miles across Pakistan, trying to find out what happened to his father. “My father, Muhammad…Continue Reading “Families of Missing Baloch March on Islamabad” →