a refugee must be isolated ina camp istanbul. a refugee must be isolated in a camp if necessary, or he must be re—educated. why did you say that? do you regret the fact there have been clashes between turkish citizens and syrian regime ‘s? do you regret that, because it's been happening in istanbul? do you regret that? of course, you're unhappy stop because mr mayor, i put it to you, you have said, for example, you cannot read the sign boards in certain quarters. this is turkey, this is istanbul. you've made that kind of comment. and a turkish news website has said this about you, in dismissing a significant portion of his city's residents by this collusion, the mayor risks fanning the flames of social unrest. you have done that, haven't you? but what is the problem with signboards in arabic? the — you have no problem with the arabic language? why is it disturbing to have a sign in arabic in districts where there is large concentrations of syrian refugees? you are a committed muslim. turkey is a predominantly muslim country

welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi in istanbul. my guest today is the new mayor of the city, ekrem imamoglu. he dealt a massive setback to the ruling ak party when he defeated their candidate not once but twice when there was a rerun of the election. president erdogan once said whoever wins istanbul wins turkey. is ekrem imamoglu now the man to watch in turkish politics? mayor ekrem imamoglu, welcome to hardtalk. are you surprised that you're sitting here in the mayor's office? it is, after all, the first time in 25 years that your chp party has won this position. your party leader, kemal kilicdaroglu, said, "do not forget, today the victor is democracy," that's when you won, and he said, "the whole world that believes in democracy is proud of turkey." so the ruling ak party, president erdogan, your party are suggesting are good democrats, they 00:02:25,688 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 didn't rig the election? what kind of precautions did you take? president erdogan has described you, despite your victory, as a lame—duck. he's right,

mr he correspondent julie holland who is joining us now from istanbul and as we heard you earlier 16 defendants and i guess the park trial what sort of evidence have the prosecutors presented so far. well that's what observers actually criticize the lack of credible evidence the indictment is more than 600 pages long but and the city international for example just to name one prominent human rights organization says and i quote them here there is not a single shred of evidence that the defendants were in any way involved in criminal activities so if you have a look at the indictment the prosecution heavily relies on social media post travels abroad why attempt phone conversations or private photos from the defendant's mobile phones one of the accused for example made a call discussing the preparation of 100 sandwiches and a couple of plastic chairs and tables for the guese protesters and it's quite difficult to understand how this actually made it into an indictment prosecutors say these people have been trying to overthrow the turkish government. prosecutors we know seeking a total

one people in istanbul have. one everything's great now. we will work for a brighter future together. shoulder to shoulder really i'm so happy. you should get a little change was necessary. although i'm gonna people had enough of the incumbent government. yeah turkey needs a fresh blood to new rhetoric and a new face yeah i do i think this result is a reflection of that she knew has a mine. has among it i think people don't see the good things tie affair one has done. we're all said our relatives came here from other cities just for today no we're so disappointed [inaudible] i think. well the government mustn't allow him to serve as mayor. okay we just heard one akp voter they're saying the government should step in and overturn the popular vote those last sound bite we listen to how deep are the divisions. between the negative with negative things going on in the country. that has a resonance within. within the you know party supporters within the masses but i think that residence is no longer. as valid as he it used to be so of course the

in may 2039 a few dozen istanbul residents occupied to prevent a construction project 60 police drove them away but that only fueled more protests . it soon became about more than just preserving a few trees in istanbul the protests spread to other parts of turkey. and demonstrators started calling for the resignation of reject type and at the time prime minister now president. holds in italy at one half the police and to protest by force those scenes back down to a place right here on a symbol central taksim square today there are no remind us of the mass protests 60 years ago the giza park is right behind me nothing has been built there but the area is now being closely monitored by police they set up barricades to prevent gatherings anti-government demonstrations are not being tolerated thanks chris didn't add one is named as one of the injured parties in the indictment he has called the protests an attack on the unity of the country controlled and financed by foreign activists. a columnist for the pro-government newspaper daily sabbat agrees. especially the western. women romantic

news still to come how protesters trying to block construction at a park in istanbul landed in court 6 years later accused of trying to topple the government. but 1st the world health organization says that the a bowl the outbreak in the democratic republic of congo is now an international health emergency it's only the 5th time that such a warning has been issued it's intended to raise attention to the outbreak and trigger more international aid the warning comes after the 1st of all the case was confirmed in goma a city of 2000000 people that neighbors rwanda. or no one does border with the democratic republic of congo health workers in yellow vests are checking travelers temperatures before allowing them to enter just across the border in the city of goma the death of a traveling posture has sparked fears the disease could spread now congo's a bold outbreak has been declared a pub. blick health emergency of international concern by the world health organization. but the w.h.o. has stopped short of calling it a global threat saying the virus can still be contained regionally withou

well now to a trial taking place in istanbul a trial that emerged from president ever wants attempts to crackdown on dissent inside the country dissent which everyone labels as terrorism 16 prominent people argues of organizing anti-government protests back in 2013 and the easy part protests were sparked by plans to destroy a park in istanbul's city center to make room for new construction the protests quickly spread to other parts of turkey 6 years later the defendants are accused of being involved in a plan to carry out a coup against the government of richard tell your pair to watch. spawn that yulia han reports i these pictures are 6 years old. but when john out to lie sees them he still remembers everything. in the summer of 2013 when police dispersed ickes protesters in istanbul i was one of the demonstrators who fled the gas let's lie there's a point when i think of give it's not just about the police violence what i remember most is the people's hope for more equality freedom and justice in turkey everyone who believed that their rights were being ignored by the government to

in the summer of 2013 when police dispersed protesters in istanbul i was one of the demonstrators who fled the gas. when i think of gays it's not just about the police violence what i remember most is the people's hope for more quality freedom and justice in turkey everyone who believed that their rights were being ignored by the government took to the streets to be heard. back then i'll tell i was a lawyer and he still is over the past years he has defended hundreds of people in court many of them government critics journalists trade unionists. but now he finds himself in the dock as a defendant since june he's being tried in connection with the protests. he's one of 16 accused most of them a prominent members of to civil society they face charges of attempting to overthrow the government but organizing an uprising. the prosecution is seeking a total of more than $47000.00 he is in jail for the defendants. already beautiful would reach and how there is no evidence in the indictment and that's why the accusations are baseless we're supposed to have a plan to cover attempts is that out

and that was there reporting from istanbul well if you have been online recently you probably noticed this trending app that alters your selfies it makes you look older but the which was developed in russia is also prompting security concerns you can be used for nasa and is here now with more so what's the deal with this what is it face to face app that's the app right there that's what it's called it's actually been around for a couple of years it's gone viral again because of this feature that everyone loves you can essentially upload or take a picture of your face and using artificial intelligence this app will make you look 345 decades older than you really are older we're talking decades here brian the results i mean that the reason why it's so much fun is it's scarily realistic here we did have a few examples here for you of what this app can do these kind of transformations they're kind of fun and you can see here some photos of celebrities or so daniel radcliffe made into an 80 year old man jennifer lopez kanye west here and you know you can just kind of get a sense of the app

to istanbul now where a landmark trial continues today against a prominent turkish philanthropist and 15 others accused of organizing anti-government protests in 2013 the so-called gazey park protests started over a planned park construction in istanbul city center but they quickly spread to other parts of turkey now 6 years later the defendants are being accused of trying to overthrow the government a bridge of type error to one our correspondent reports. i these pictures are 6 years old. but when john the til i sees them he still remembers everything i in the summer of 2013 when police dispersed the protesters in istanbul i was one of the demonstrators who fled to tear gas. there's a prince that's when i think of gays it's not just about the police violence what i remember most is the people's hope for more quality freedom justice in turkey everyone who believes that their rights were being ignored by the government took to the streets to be heard. back then i'll tell i was a lawyer and he still is over the past years he has defended hundreds of people in court many of them governme

has the sister story from istanbul. all that. i have seen so far of use like this and changing hotels. that you are hiding from their families we can't say where they are because they are afraid of being found. 22 persisted 20. when her father took them to istanbul for a holiday they decided to run away to escape years of filings and repression they say for a reason or. if they are so. near forced me to wear. when i was like 10 years. so i can say no of course if i say they will beat me so hot they took the decision to escape us says when her father wanted to marry her off so it was their last chance. and my father told me i have friends of my. he have 2 wife and he want me to be the 3rd one. asking about his age he told me that one of the 50 they don't care. and when i told him as. he told me you can see. it all if. the marriage you are not. to be kept mum is the only person who always knows where do. you stumbled the u.k. lawyer 1st became aware of the case on twitter he's now supporting the sisters in their efforts to get asyl

and our correspondent in the hun she is following the story for she joins me tonight from istanbul good evening to you i mean this is definitely uncomfortable even a painful anniversary for a lot of people talk to me about how the country marked the moment today. well yes this has been a very emotional day for many people here in turkey july 15th is a public national holiday now and we've seen a number of events commemorating the victims of that dramatic night president laid flowers at a memorial in the capital ankara earlier today he also spoke at a huge event here in istanbul at airport a very symbolic location the airport was briefly occupied by the putsch is said that night and everyone later who returned to the city he was not in the city he returned to istanbul via ataturk airport announcing that the coup attempt had failed his message today one of his key messages was and i quote him here traitors have been trying to drag turkey into darkness but the citizens prevented it and protected democracy those were his words he's trying to push this narrative of a nation under attack and

straight to istanbul where we joined. what were the impressions of this all of us read today. well this is a hugely important day for many people here in turkey it's a public national holy day and it has been mobbed today with a number of events and prayers commemorating the victims of that dramatic night president edwin himself laid flowers at a memorial in the capital ankara and he will soon speak at istanbul's outside to an airport the airport was briefly occupied by pushes that night in this add on who wasn't in the city back then later returned to that airport to signal that the coup attempt had failed you have to know back then thousands of ordinary citizens took to the streets many of them just with their kitchen utensils to fight the tanks and the soldiers off to president ad one had called them to defeat the uprising in the end to $251.00 people were killed that night so. the price for the victory was quite high we went to one of the common ration events here in istanbul earlier today and we asked people why this july 15th why this day is just so important for them le

this week he appeared in front of a judge in istanbul. defending his right to free speech. >> i was worried. >> reporter: we spoke with him via skype from an apartment in istanbul. a dual citizen, he's been there for almost a month doing research and making sure he stays a free man. >> it was more the courts that created the situation. >> is one of 2000 academics who signed an petition back in 2016 that accused the turkish army of killing turkish civilians. >> according to them the petition actually was propaganda for terrorism. >> reporter: he remembers assigning the petition in 2016 and there was a possibility that he could be charged. two i was expecting that charges would appear quite early on because of the government's response to the petition was to call us all traders. >> reporter: last month he went back to istanbul. at the airport he was immediately separated from his family and detained for questioning. >> i showed my passport and the police asked me whether i was traveling alone i said no my family is with me. and he said plea

well with their vote the people of istanbul have rejected president at a once increasing authoritarianism democracy at work while the people are suffering from the country's financial crisis that has also caused the once popularity to follow the construction boom here encourage has flopped and abandoned projects now dot the landscape one casualty of the economic downturn is alibaba marketed as a kind of fairy tale to potential buyers the luxury development has now become a cautionary tale for investors. who wouldn't want to own a castle and here there are plenty to choose from over $700.00 in total. it's a place straight out of a fairy tale. but it's turned into a nightmare for developer misery yet because no one wants to live here. he's the one who dreamed up the idea of building the chateau style villas some 200 kilometers east of istanbul removing we're here in the turret that every villa has . for your owners going to enjoy the view of the natural landscape. they also have a nice overview of the state and other villas frozen in cologne some of them till. we have our arab friends in mi

an opposition figure and the next mayor of istanbul heir to one held the post before he ascended to the national stage a parallel not lost on some voters. the president was merritt's well a criminal who is following the same path we will see that in days. no one can say when those better times for edda once opponents may come he survived the bang of a coup attempt the whimper of everyday politics may pose the bigger challenge. so 3 years on let's go straight to istanbul and our correspondent there dorian jones dorian how is this day being marked in turkey. well it's a major event of commemorations in fact the event started late last night just down the road from where i am it was a major open air life and visual display recalling the traumatic events of that failed coup night showing up for fighter jets bombing the presidential and parliamentary parliamentary buildings night which for over 250 people died and thousands of others injured but today it's a real major event later on today president of iran will be addressing a public rally in unc aura at the headquarters of the national sec

tomorrow a lot of that rain pushes down here towards the south in the southeast into parts of turkey istanbul you can be quite rainy as well and we are going to see showers there with a temperature of 30 degrees very quickly here across parts of northern africa temperatures are coming down for tunis we did see 40 but as we go towards wednesday at the right 35 degrees for you. the winds are sponsored by catalona. conflict. gradients to any success. for mexico's most loved it is most different behind the cameras this week tensions run high as the produces on fools to balance creates even social issues with the day moms of commercialisation. episode 4 of such folks mexico on al-jazeera. the headlines for you now on al-jazeera iran's president rouhani has defended his country's uranium enrichment saying it's peaceful and still within the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal tehran has welcomed french efforts to save that agreement a top diplomat is meeting with iranian officials today. and the u.s. says it wants to form a military coalition to protect the crucial shipping routes off the coast of ir

europe i'm lara baba lola nice to have you with us a new beginning for turkey those are the words of istanbul's new mayor who broke the ruling party's hold on the city tens of thousands of residents celebrated cram in a model sweeping victory after president aired a one demanded last a revote he won said whoever wins istanbul wins turkey and its people have now delivered a clear message to their country's leader well with their vote the people of istanbul have rejected president at a once increasing authoritarianism democracy at work the people are suffering from the country's financial crisis that has also caused wants popularity to fall the construction boom he encouraged has flopped and abandoned projects now dot the landscape one casualty of the economic downturn is alibaba marketed as a kind of fairy tale to potential buyers the luxury development has now become a cautionary tale for investors. who wouldn't want to own a castle and here there are plenty to choose from over $700.00 in total. it's a place straight out of a fairy tale. but it's turned into a nightmare for developer measure ye

dorian jones in istanbul thank you. we had now to the united states where forecasters warn heavy rains from tropical depression barry still pose a threat in several southern states the stock was downgraded on sunday afternoon as it moved north the region appears to have avoided the catastrophic flooding authorities had feared but many areas remain under tornado and flash flooding warnings helen humphrey reports from the louisiana capital that brooch. it's an anxious waiting game waiting to find out whether their homes have survived tropical storm barry. has brought her 5 grandchildren to this red cross one shelter in baton rouge louisiana she's already been through a catastrophic flooding in 2016 and didn't want to take any chances were very i worry all the time i'm worried about having the same thing can't go through that again. is nerve wrecking in the back bay but at least this time we are prepared 39 people have been seeking shelter in this stadium sleeping on camp beds with blankets toiletries and hot meals provide

stations now based in this country most of them right here in istanbul beaming their content back home to the arab world now the irony of all of this as well as the apparent hypocrisy turkey jailing its own dissident journalists while playing host to those from foreign countries is not lost on either turkish reporters or their foreign colleagues they all know that there are politics at play here we've come to istanbul to speak to arab journalists about life in exile as well as the space that's been carved out for adversarial journalism aimed at the arab world. that in. fact he was there but then i don't. see the next laugh. of the new. the case the last nothing that. was in the had the key to attached to. the book on the computer not cloudy. and i mean look at the. sooty in the new court and on some of the luck to. him. and had the size of. them to. come a lot in this. unit. and yet the but that we need to have labels on them emailed me that. net nanny menu me either you. know.

the afternoon sun bays istanbul in a golden light. the rider on pommel has said that istanbul is marked by a special melancholy a kind of hazy memory of last grander coupled with decay 7. the last capital of the ottoman empire was a jewel on the ancient silk road the caravans arrived here filled with treasures that ended up in the city's palaces and bazaars. candied fruit. exotic fragrances. all that and more can still be found in istanbul spice market. lulay isn't interested in that right now. she's a natural optimist but today is putting a dent in that. she runs a shop in the asian market nearby the risen isn't going well after a few hours a customer buy something she ordered from china. since the start of the economic crisis and the collapse of the turkish lira everything's changed. so. i used to have customers lining up to get in and lines at the cash register people would hurry to pay they'd get here early to be 1st in the door those were the days now days hours can go by without a customer sounds an issue. cool. lulay still has

we talked to a few people in istanbul. let's s listen to what they have to say. >> we commemorate our martyrs with full respect. they try to divide us. he has been trying to divide this country for years. >> itt was an exexemely diffffit night t for our countrtry. i was outside on the streets. i didn't even know who had attacked people for what reasons and why people -- why things developed this way. we have to investigate all of this. >> we have lost many friends and neighbhbors, our brorothers and fathers died on the day of the coup for the sake of the nation. >> it is interesting the way people remember that time. we remember that president erdogan described the coup attempt as a gift from god. would you say that today? >> he said it was a gift from god that would give him a chance to reshape the company -- country. tens of thousands of people were sacked from their jobs. state employees, academics. journalists. the government said it is necessary to go after the coup plotters. this has impacted their society. you would

here in this a livery prison in istanbul. on the streets of istanbul there is a show of hatred for those who allegedly attempted the coup followers of the preacher for to look in here hanged in effigy thousands of his followers assiduous spent years behind bars false testimonies by the kidnapped a supposed to help our witnesses report they wanted me to betray my friends they used force to try to make me cooperate work for the state gather information for us and then we'll give you back your freedom it was their goal to use me as a spy within the movement as a witness i was supposed to confirm made up crimes and trials i was tortured so i would denounce acquaintances. because they appeared to agree to the offer. was set free they were then able to fly. lawyer and press can was present trials against the alleged coup rebels she confirms that anonymous witnesses were used in court. what do you mean a occupy anonymous witnesses were used to strengthen the court's position because there is hardly any evidence. that's why the court

all of that and more can still be found in istanbul spice market. lulay isn't interested in that right now. she's a natural optimist but today is putting a dent in that. she runs a shop in the asian market nearby. business isn't going well after a few hours a customer buys something she ordered from china. since the start of the economic crisis and the collapse of the turkish lira. everything's changed. so. i used to have customers lining up to get in and lines at the cash register people would hurry to pay they'd get here early to be 1st in the door those were the days now days hours can go by without a customer sounds and. make cool. you lay still has a boat from the days when business was booming element but perhaps she's been in istanbul long enough to have acquired some of the city's melancholy of its memory of better days. the chinese who come to the city today are brimming with optimism their vision of the future extends well past istanbul and into the heart of europe. they're not interested in souvenirs they're planning a high speed rail cor

conservative kingdom's repressive male guardianship system a reporter you'll yonge men to 2 women in istanbul turkey and heard how the system allows men to control virtually every aspect of a woman's life from birth to death. full that. has seen a. like this and changing hotels. that you are hiding from their families we can't say where they are because they are afraid of being found. 22 persisted 20 when her father took them to istanbul for a holiday they decided to run away to escape years of violence and repression they say for easing or. if they. say no i can't refuse. when you force me to where. when i was like 10 years. so i can't say no of course if i say they will beat me so hot they took the decision to escape to us says when her father wanted to marry her off it was their last chance. my father told me i have friends of my. he have 2 wife and he want me to be the 3rd one. asking about his age he told me that he's one of the 50 they don't. and when i told him it was. you can't say not. at all if. the marriage you are not to. be kept man is the only person who always knows when. you s

the july 15th marches bridge in istanbul the gateway between europe and asia. the backdrop to a unique sporting event the 31st edition of the bosphorus cross continental swimming race saw more than 2000 competitors from 59 countries swim between 2 continents the swimmers ranging from ages 14 to 89 had to brave more than just a grueling 6.5 kilometer distance choppy conditions and by sea temperatures added to the challenge yes well what what is gold and that. there is some call to finish is difficult because of what they. are much called. it's it's cool but it's difficult for. me to get it was really difficult i suffered a lot especially at the end of the water was really cold at times i had to give my all to pull through. but for those that made it to the finish line located on istanbul's european port it was all worth it. and just at the end it was that was biased really really good but. the race was won by turkish competitors in both gender kat's agrees with the fastest time posted just over 47 minutes but nationalities are of little importance in a sporting

and he is the chairman of the istanbul based center for economic some foreign policy studies and a visiting scholar at carnegie europe in brussels thanks very much for being with us now despite president trump's comments at the g. 20 word from the pentagon and washington is that nothing has changed and that these sanctions will go ahead if turkey takes delivery of the s 400 what do you make of that. well after the meeting between the turkish president are gone and i was president trump in all sucka there was an air of optimism erkki an expectation that the u.s. president could use his presidential prerogatives to either block or suspend potential sanctions against turkey but obviously we also know that the different pillars of the universe administration and also congress is very much in intent on imposing those sanctions but to be seen to what extent trump can actually deliver on this promise made to the turkish president at the margin of the g 20 summit to actually prevent or block these potential sanctions and is it true that trumps predecessor president obama denied access to patriot mi