Peter Kenyon

Police Clear Protesters In Istanbul Park

Peter Kenyon — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:38:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The political standoff in Turkey is intensifying. Riot police there are firing teargas to prevent anti-government protesters from massing in Istanbul's Taksim Square. There were clashes with demonstrators through much of last night. Security forces sealed off the square and the adjacent Gezi Park, parts of the city that have been the focus of the protests over the last 19 days. Now, authorities say the park is off-limits to the public but many protestors say the crackdown has only strengthened their determination to return.

Turkish Protesters Refuse To Leave Gezi Park

Peter Kenyon — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Protesters who were camped out in Istanbul's Gezi Park say they won't pack up and go home despite a government offer to avoid bulldozing the park without court approval and a public referendum. Protest organizers say that other demands such as releasing detained protesters have not been met.

And meanwhile, officials have warned that if demonstrators don't leave the park, police may be sent in to clear them out. Turkey's response to more than two weeks of unrest has involved more than riot police and teargas.

Not Everyone Cheers Turkey's Move To Tighten Alcohol Rules

Peter Kenyon — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:26:00 +0000

The ongoing anti-government protests in Turkey are about a lot of things — including a recent law to restrict the advertising and sale of alcohol. The limits aren't any more onerous than those in some other Western countries, but secular Turks see them as another step in a push by the ruling party to impose conservative social values on the population

Turkey has long tolerated and, in some quarters, embraced the Bacchanalian fruit of grape and grain.

Iranian Council: Ex-President Rafsanjani Unfit To Run Again

Peter Kenyon — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:49:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Iran's Guardian Council does not hesitate to use its power. That's the legislative body that vets political candidates for their commitment to the Islamic Revolution. Perhaps no surprise in the upcoming presidential election, voters are able to choose from a very narrow range of candidates - all of whom support the regime. All the high-profile or independent candidates have been eliminated by the Guardian Council.

Iran's 'Zahra' Tells Alternate Tale Of Presidential Campaign

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Iranians choose a new president next month, and one thing Iran's leaders are intent on avoiding is a repeat of the massive street protests that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in 2009.

The sponsors of those protests, known as the Green Movement, have been effectively silenced inside Iran, but not online.

A Sign of Disunity? Iranian Candidates Jockey For Position

Peter Kenyon — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:47:00 +0000

Nearly 700 presidential hopefuls have thrown their names into the ring for Iran's June 14 presidential elections. But two last-minute entrants have altered the shape of the already-chaotic race: a former president once dismissed as a has-been and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.

Although not exactly a free-for-all, analysts say, there's a clear sense that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has failed to unify the political elite behind a single establishment candidate.

Kurdish Militants Begin Historic Withdrawal From Turkey

Peter Kenyon — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Today marks the beginning of the pullback of thousands of militant PKK fighters from Turkey back to Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. It's an important milestone in a delicate effort to end nearly three decades of bloodshed that have killed an estimated 35,000 people since 1984.

If the withdrawal is successful, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will push for complete disarmament of the PKK, the Kurdistan Worker's Party. The party was founded as a Marxist-Leninist group to push for an independent Kurdistan comprising parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Foreigners At Home: Turkey Beckons Its People In Germany

Peter Kenyon — Sun, 05 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

In 1961, desperate to increase its labor force, West Germany signed an employment agreement with Turkey and launched a wave of immigration that continues to have repercussions today.

Now, after years of being treated as second-class citizens in Europe's economic powerhouse, large numbers of Turks — descendants of the first wave of immigrants — are returning to Turkey.

In A Strange Land

Yucel Yolcu, 44, has a good life in Istanbul.

Aid To Syria Comes With Fears Of Islamist Presence

Peter Kenyon — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:38:00 +0000

At an 11-nation meeting in Turkey this weekend, there was one thing the United States, European and Arab states could agree on: With more than 70,000 killed and millions of people displaced, the Syrian crisis, as Secretary of State John Kerry says, is "horrific."

In response, the Obama administration is doubling its non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, Kerry announced at the meeting.

"The stakes in Syria couldn't be more clear," Kerry said.

In Kazakhstan, No Horror At Horse Meat

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:17:00 +0000

Though the thought of horse meat in British lasagna or Ikea meatballs may be stomach-churning to some people, in some cultures the practice of eating horse meat is not just acceptable, it's a treat. NPR's Peter Kenyon just returned from the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan and checked out the meat market at the Green Bazaar in Almaty.