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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

“International observers called the last elections in Turkey free but not fair. And with Erdoğan’s rivals in prison, some are asking whether the next national vote will be free at all.” My dispatch for BBC Radio’s From Our Own Correspondent.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Amid a sweeping crackdown in Turkey against LGBTQ+ I met one group who decided to put on a free concert in a show of solidarity. The audience was smaller than usual and the band thought about cancelling but decided not to, 'because this is what they want us to do.' theworld.org/segments/202...

theworld.org

Turkey raids bars and NGOs in crackdown on LGBTQ+ activists and journalists - The World from PRX

Turkey’s prime minister has ordered crackdowns on Istanbul’s LGBTQ+ communities, and there have been widespread raids and arrests under obscenity laws to ‘protect families.’ Long lines of police filed...

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

In Turkey, opposition mayors, journalists, students and even comedians are increasingly finding themselves in court. My new doc investigates the crackdown, looks at how Turkey’s justice system evolved under Erdogan, & explores what space is left for free speech: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...

BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Turkey on trial: Can courts control a nation?

From jailed mayors to comedians, Emily Wither investigates Turkey's crackdown

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Could the 'Made in Turkey' label vanish from our wardrobes? I made a business show on why it might - soaring inflation, hundreds of bankrupt factories, tens of thousands out of work, and production shifting to countries like Egypt. www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...

BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Is Turkey's clothing industry unravelling at the seams?

The Turkish textile industry is at risk after hundreds of apparel factories have closed

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The former chair of Turkey's main opposition party, Özgür Özel, has formed his own party to challenge current president Erdoğan in upcoming elections. youtube.com/shorts/lfi23...

youtube.com

New Party formed to challeng Turkey's Erdoğan

YouTube video by Channel 4 News

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Out covering the wildfires today in the UK - this is the second drought summer in a row and our new reality: a climate heating up from decades of burning coal, oil and gas. Producing hotter, drier, more flammable summers.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

It is ten years since Turkey's coup attempt - when a faction of the military tried to topple Erdoğan's government. I visited the neighbourhood directly below Bosphorus Bridge, which saw some of the fiercest fighting, to hear from those that came on to the streets www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...

BBC Audio | Witness History | Turkey’s failed coup

On 15 July 2016, more than 300 people were killed in the coup attempt

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Foreign Media Association @fma-turkey.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

FMA joins IPI and other journalists' and #pressfreedom groups in calling on NATO to address the denial of media accreditation to independent news outlets and journalists in Turkey seeking to cover the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara. turkiye.ipi.media/joint-letter...

turkiye.ipi.media

Joint Letter to NATO: Accreditation Process Excludes Independent Turkish Journalists from Summit - IPI Turkiye Website

IPI, together with press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organisations, has written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to raise urgent concerns about the denial of accreditation to ...

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I've been speaking to Iranians turning away from state-imposed religion. Decades after promising a more godly society, many feel the state has weaponised religion carrying out repression in the name of God. Hear more in my documentary, War, God and the Islamic Republic. www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...

BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | War, God and the Islamic Republic

How Iranians are turning away from state-imposed religion.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Albania has seen huge protests over Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner's plans to develop a luxury tourism project there. I went on BBC Global Story to discuss how these demos are far from over as a young population fight privilege & power. Listen www.bbc.com/audio/play/w... or watch tinyurl.com/58xnz225

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Protests are growing in Albania over a planned tourism development linked to President Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner - thousands have been demonstrating in the capital. We made a documentary about the plans for the coast - listen to the backstory 🎧 bbc.com/audio/play/p...

BBC Audio | The Documentary Podcast | Albania: Land, money and the sea

Ivanka Trump, a beach full of sheep and the changing landscape of southern Albania

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

On From Our Own Correspondent this week with a dispatch from Albania’s coast which is drawing big-name developers like Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. But land disputes, court battles & environmental worries show the past still colliding with the country’s future: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

podcasts.apple.com

Donald Trump and a dangerous ultimatum

Podcast Episode · From Our Own Correspondent · 11 April · 29min

Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

What does Ivanka Trump want with a Balkan beach and why are locals & environmentalists in court? We went to Albania's coast - where the communist past is still colliding with the present in disputes over land, ownership & corruption. Take a listen to our documentary 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, Albania: Land, Money and the Sea

Ivanka Trump, a beach full of sheep and the changing landscape of southern Albania.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I’ve spent the last week or so reporting from the Turkey-Iran border. Iranians crossing into Turkey are increasingly sharing stories about how the war is spilling into their homes.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

What Iranians have been telling us today on the Turkey-Iran border

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Turkey has deployed six F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus - more on the BBC Iran live page www.bbc.com/news/live/cz...

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Iranians crossing the border into Turkey tell us they’ve been warned not to speak to journalists 👇

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Reposted by Emily Wither

DW Deutsche Welle @deutschewelle.dw.com · 20/02/2026

A DW correspondent was arrested in Turkey yesterday. DW Director General Massing calls for his immediate release: "The fact that a journalist is being treated like a serious criminal, taken away by 30 police officers and brought directly to Istanbul, serves as a deliberate act of intimidation."

corporate.dw.com

DW correspondent arrested in Turkey

A correspondent, who has been with DW in Turkey for several years, was arrested in Ankara on February 19. He was taken to the headquarters of the Istanbul Provincial Police, the highest police authori...

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Foreign Media Association @fma-turkey.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

The pending deportation from Turkey of French journalist Raphaël Boukandoura threatens to set a disturbing precedent for press freedom. Our full statement: fmaturkey.org/raphael-bouk...

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Israel has now seized municipal powers over Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque from Palestinians. Palestinian officials say it threatens the historic status of one of Islam’s holiest sites. I recently made a documentary about rising tensions there - www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Prayers through the Checkpoints

We hear from Palestinians striving to reach places of worship amid increased security.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I went to Hebron & East Jerusalem to investigate the increasing challenges Palestinians face visiting two significant mosques (sites also sacred to Jews). Is the delicate status quo at some of the world's holiest & most contested sites changing? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Prayers through the checkpoints

We hear from Palestinians striving to reach places of worship amid increased security

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

What does it cost to call for peace in Israel today? For Jewish & Palestinian activists w/ @standing-together.bsky.social, Standing Together the price includes threats, arrests, & pushback from both sides. Our follow-up doc, two years after Oct 7th, tells their story www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Crossing Continents - The struggle of Israel's peace movement - BBC Sounds

The Israeli and Palestinian activists who defy threats to dare to call for peace.

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Rest of World @restofworld.org · 10/11/2025

In his first interview on the job, Syria’s new tech minister Abdulsalam Haykal talks to @emilywither.bsky.social about how he plans to rebuild the country’s shattered digital infrastructure — and why he came back after years in exile restofworld.org/2025/syria-tech-min…

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Old Damascus - incredible (and still surreal) to be able to now hop on a two hour flight from Istanbul

Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Thrilled to be shortlisted for the best feature award with my documentary from Saudi Arabia: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Longreads @longreads.com · 19/09/2025

“‘The first thing that happened when the regime fell is that the mobile phones started working again!’ It was, maybe, a good omen.” @emilywither.bsky.social for @restofworld.org : restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...

restofworld.org

Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley

Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Cengiz Yar @cengizyar.com · 17/09/2025

"When you’re in Silicon Valley, you never really think of the ordinary. You’re always thinking of the disruptive. Syria will be the ultimate disrupter." @emilywither.bsky.social @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...

restofworld.org

Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley

Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.

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Reposted by Emily Wither

Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

“Take the only fertility clinic in Gaza. They smashed the tanks, killed those embryos.” Navi Pillay, Chair of the UN commission of inquiry, tells @krishgm.bsky.social they were “thorough” in determining that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Read and watch: www.channel4.com/news/why-my-...

channel4.com

Why my UN commission concluded Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Channel 4 News speaks to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist who was the Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

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Rest of World @restofworld.org · 16/09/2025

Assad is out. Startups are in. Read @emilywither.bsky.social's feature on the new Syria restofworld.org/2025/syria-t...

restofworld.org

Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley

Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

President Erdogan wants women to have at least three children to boost the country's declining birthrate. Will it work? My programme on Turkey's 'Year of the Family' initiative for BBC World Service 🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Turkey's 'Year of the Family'

President Erdoğan wants women to have at least three children to boost the birth rate

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

We covered the announcement yesterday on @channel4news.bsky.social on new chickenpox vaccines www.channel4.com/news/nhs-to-... but with vaccine uptake at a 15 year low we spoke to Dr. Okorocha about how social media is fuelling hesitancy.

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Another five journalists were killed in Gaza in an Israeli double tap strike on a hospital - among them Mariam Dagga who had just told her sister she believed she would be killed ‘today or tomorrow’. Our piece for @channel4news.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=EevA...

youtube.com

Gaza journalist believed she would be killed ‘today or tomorrow’

YouTube video by Channel 4 News

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Emily Wither @emilywither.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

@rorypecktrust.bsky.social are also raising funds for our brave colleagues in Gaza. Over 200 journalists have now been killed in the Strip, as an industry we have failed to keep them safe.