Thirty years have passed like this.
Today, we are surrounded by authoritarianism, a retreat from democracy, exclusion from decision-making processes, the pandemic, economic crisis, two wars in our immediate vicinity, rising nationalism, sexism, and the climate crisis. The scars of recent traumas are still fresh. Imagining a future that isn't bleak requires effort.
Yet, despite all this, the civic space in Turkey has grown, flourished, expanded, and deepened over the past 30 years.
We celebrated our 30th anniversary alongside Kaos GL, who also reached this milestone, hosted by Dawid Bartelt, our fourth country director. We danced and celebrated with abandon because, even in the face of today’s circumstances, the experience gained, the solidarity shown, the successes achieved, and the path travelled deserve recognition.
Since 1994, numerous rights struggles have gained widespread legitimacy: democracy and human rights, the right to live in a healthy environment, gender equality, food security and many more.
In the early 90s, you could count the number of rights-based organizations in Turkey on one hand; now, there are countless more. Civil society is far more capable, adaptable and resilient...
And far more determined.
We started our journey as a “liaison office” and have stood alongside civil organizations for 30 years.
Now, we are looking ahead to the next 30 years. While it's not easy in this age of uncertainty and multiple crises, we remain hopeful, drawing strength from the past 30 years:
When has it ever been easy?
1 – Friends and partners who could fit in the frame at the 30th anniversary event. In the foreground, German MP Max Lucks in maroon; on stage, the Turkey director Dawid. (hbs) 2 – A year later, the scene had changed completely. The 2024 election results revealed that the leading party had changed for the first time in a long while. (Wikimedia) 3 – Russian activist Alexei Navalny has died under suspicious circumstances in his Siberian prison. (The AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth) 4 – During the European Championships in Germany, the use and subsequent ban of the Bozkurt symbol caused minor turbulence in relations between the two countries. (Selin Yıldız) 5 – The current team with two new members: Nilgün Yılmaz (seated third from left), our communications lead, and Omar Kadkoy (seated far right), our new project coordinator. (hbs)