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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TURKEY NGOS
HEADLINE: Turkey's Civil Society Under Threat as Crackdown Scares Away Donors
TEASER: Members of Turkey's civil society say donors are taking their money elsewhere after Erdogan’s reelection this year
PUBLISHED AT: 11/27/2023 at 2:15PM
BYLINE: Dorian Jones
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Istanbul
VIDEOGRAPHER: Berke Bas DO NOT USE NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS.
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original, VOA Mehmet Aksakal, Reuters, AFP, Istanbul Pride Committee, Hrant Dink Foundation, Free Osman Kavala Platform
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV x__ RADIO __
TRT: 3:40
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVR
UPDATE: DO NOT USE BERKE BAS NAME FOR SECURITY REASONS))
((INTRO))
[[Members of Turkey's civil society are voicing concerns for their future as international funding declines. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, significant donors have been ending or cutting back their support after Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emboldened by his reelection this year, continues his crackdown on dissenting voices. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.]]
((NARRATOR))
Buoyed by his reelection in May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing his crackdown on
((Mandatory cg. Istanbul Pride Committee))
elements of Turkey's civil society who he accuses of threatening democracy.
((end courtesy))
((NARRATOR))
Activists with the “Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association” - commonly known as SPoD - say they are facing a financial battle for survival due to a decline in international support. The reductions are impacting its services like telephone helplines and legal and psychological support for people who identify as LGBTQ.
[[RADIO VERSION: Ogulcan Yediveren is the organization's general coordinator.]]
((Ogulcan Yediveren, SPOD Activist ((male in English -ON CAMERA))
“Since the elections, the percentage of the accepted (funding) applications is decreasing. It is the data. It’s not an evaluation. It is almost impossible to continue do all these activities based on [voluntarism]. So, these fundings are important for organizations to survive.”
((NARRATOR))
Observers say Erdogan's reelection sees a further tightening of the Turkish leader’s control on dissent, which they say can only fuel growing questions among donors about whether it is worth funding Turkish civil society organizations.
[[RADIO VERSION: That’s the warning from Sinan Gokcen, the head of the Turkish branch of the Sweden-based Civil Rights Defenders group.]]
((Sinan Gokcen Civil Rights Defenders ((male in English -ON CAMERA))
“There is a decline, a hesitation by the international donors targeting Turkey. And this has been intensified, especially after the election.]]
((Mandatory cg. Hrant Dink Foundation))
Domestic financial support is also drying up after Turkish philanthropist
((Mandatory cg. Instagram/Free Osman Kavala))
Osman Kavala was given a life sentence for seeking to overthrow the government
((end courtesy))
after being convicted of backing the 2013 nationwide Gezi protests against Erdogan's policies
The ruling was condemned by both Washington and the European Court of Human rights.
But Erdogan defends Kavala's jailing, accusing civil society groups like the ones Kavala supports of conspiring with international donors to undermine his rule.
((Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President – MALE IN TURKISH- AFP))
"There is a person who financed the terrorists in the Gezi events. Now Kavala is behind bars. And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros."
Hungarian American philanthropist George Soros, whose Open Society Foundations was once a significant supporter of Turkey's civil society until it pulled out in 2018, blaming government pressure.
Activists warn another major but anonymous European funder to Turkey is set to pull out at the end of year.
[[RADIO VERSION: Ekrem Murat Celikkan is with the Hafiza Merkezi Truth, Memory and Justice Center in Turkey.
((Ekrem Murat Celikkan, Hafiza Merkezi – Truth, Memory and Justice Center ((male in English)) ((via zoom))
“The Open Society is no longer funding in Turkey, and I think it was around 2 million dollars for civil society and an extra 2 million funding for refugee organizations. And then a very special organization, the Chrest Foundation from U.S., also stopped funding because it was targeted by the pro-government press severely.”
((NARRATOR))
Chrest Foundation officials did not respond to VOA’s request for comment, while donors who are switching their aid to other causes asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.
((Dorian Jones, VOA News, Istanbul))
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