Lawyer and human rights activist Eren Keskin, chief of the Istanbul Human Rights Association (İHD), was taken into custody at Atat?rport on sunday, and then freed today, after her testimonies were recorded by four different courts in Istanbul?

There were 11 issues of arrest warrant in absentia for Keskin since she failed to show up for a court session in which she was being tried for a speech she delivered in Germany. She was claimed to have insulted the Turkish Armed Forces in her speech?

Eren Keskin has faced 86 lawsuits in relation to her human rights activities, and been repeatedly harassed because of her work: She is one of the founders of a legal aid project for women survivors of sexual assault in custody, and has exposed the torture of women prisoners in Turkey?

Beyoglu is probably the most hectic and cruel part of our city, where all walks of life collide: From homeless dropouts to snobby billionaires, we all share the same neighborhood… Local governmental office of the district had opened a “Home for the Homeless” for helpless men in Beyoglu two years ago (picture above)…

And last week, as an outcome of a cooperation with Mor ǡti (Purple Roof) Women Shelter Foundation, the opening ceremony of a “Shelter for Women in Beyoglu” took place, while the exact address of the shelter is kept anonymous because of security reasons… The shelter will provide protection for women who are living in Beyoglu and happened to be victims of violence…

An academic conference on “Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of Empire: Questions of Scholarly Responsibility and Democracy,” took place past weekend in Istanbul Bilgi University…

I appreciate the conference, since it was a first-time opportunity that provided a platform for a public debate over the long-time painful and controversial issue…

And a group of men-in-black from the nationalist Great Unity Party (BBP) and the left-nationalist Workers’ Party (IP) protested outside the conference, throwing eggs and tomatoes on the participants…

Here are two news coverage to read on via Bianet or TDN…

A harsh plastic surgery to change the face of Istanbul and especially attract rich cruise ship passengers, is on the way: The project called

A photography exhibition in Karsi Sanat art gallery in Beyoglu, recalling the anti-Greek riots in Istanbul on September 6-7 1955, was attacked by a group of ultra-nationalist Turkish militants yesterday, ripping photos off the walls and throwing eggs at the display

Individual disarmament seems to be one of the most urgent social issues in Turkey, as 600-700 people a year happen to be shot by stray bullets from guns fired in either street fights or some celebration occasions, such as mayhems after football successes, rural weddings or send-off gatherings for new soldiers

In the current issue of the Newsweek magazine

A statue of Oguz Aral, the founding father of the Turkish comics magazine tradition during the last quarter of the XXth century, was opened in Cihangir Park yesterday, on the first anniversary of his death from a heart attack