Tag: InternationalNews

{Unknown number of hostages taken inside police station as local media report group wants release of opposition figure.}

Armed men have seized a police station in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, and taken an unknown number of hostages on Sunday morning, the country’s security service said.

Deputy police chief Artur Vanoyan was killed and three officers were wounded during the armed takeover of the station, first deputy of Armenia’s national police force Hunan Poghosyan told reporters on Sunday outside the police station

As of Sunday afternoonn, armoured police vehicles had surrounded the station in preparation for a potential raid.

Poghosyan said the police and security forces would “undertake necessary means” to bring an end to the hostage situation if the armed men refused to surrender.

“Because there is no other way to deal with murderers,” Poghosyan said. “But as long as there is still hope to end the situation through negotiations, we will continue to negotiate.”

Negotiations were under way to resolve the situation peacefully, the National Security Service said, accusing the hostage takers’ supporters of spreading false rumours on the internet that an armed uprising against the government was under way.

“A group of armed men entered the premises of a police regiment in Yerevan and is holding hostages under the threat of violence,” the security service said.

Armenian news agencies reported that the armed men were demanding the release of Jirair Sefilian, an opposition leader and former military commander, who was arrested in June.

Sefilian has strongly criticised Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan and is unhappy about the way the government has been handling a long-running conflict between pro-Armenian separatists and the breakaway Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Supporters of Jirair Sefilian have always said they would launch an armed uprising to get rid of the current authorities. His organisation maintains that this is an illegitimate government that came to power through flawed elections and is holding on to power against the will of the people,” she added.

“Among their demands is the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan and the release of all political prisoners in Armenia. They do not have wide support in the country.”

The security service said law enforcement agencies were working as normal to uphold public safety. TV images of the scene showed a heavy police presence with armoured vehicles blocking off the road to the police station.

The hostage takers’ supporters were spreading what it called “disinformation” about the seizure of other buildings as part of a coup, according to the security service.

“The National Security Service officially announces that such information is absolutely untrue,” it said.

{“No regrets,” says brother of Pakistani social media sensation after he strangles her to death in family home.}

The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch has been arrested for her murder, confessing he strangled her for “honour”.

Waseem Azeem was arrested in Dera Ghazi Khan in central Pakistan, having earlier fled the family home and murder scene, late on Saturday.

“Yes, of course I strangled her,” he told journalists in a press conference arranged by the police early on Sunday. “I have no regrets.”

He said that he acted alone and was “not embarrassed at all” because his sister’s behaviour “was completely intolerable”.

“She was on the ground floor while our parents were asleep on the rooftop,” he said. “It was around 10.45pm when I gave her a tablet … and then killed her.”

Azhar Ikram, the police chief in Multan, where Baloch was killed, said: “Wasim confessed to his crime, saying he killed his sister for honour after her recent objectionable videos, mostly posted on Facebook.”

Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, rose to fame for her provocative social media posts that saw her praised by some for breaking social taboos but condemned by conservatives.

{{‘Trying to change mindsets’}}

On her final, July 4 post to her Facebook page, which has almost 800,000 fans, she wrote: “I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices. ”

The 26-year-old faced frequent misogynist abuse and death threats but continued to post.

Earlier this year, Baloch offered to strip if the Pakistani cricket team beat India.

She also posed for selfies with a high-profile Muslim cleric in an incident that saw him swiftly rebuked by the country’s religious affairs ministry.

Before her death Baloch spoke of worries about her safety and had appealed to the interior ministry to provide her with security for protection. No help was provided and the interior ministry has not commented on her death.

She was killed on Friday night at her family’s home near Multan. The killing sent shockwaves across Muslim Pakistan and triggered an outpouring of grief on social media for Baloch.

More than 500 people, mostly women, die in Pakistan each year in such killings, usually carried out by members of the victim’s family meting out punishment for bringing “shame” on the community.

‘Honour killings are an epidemic’

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who won an Oscar for a film about honour-based violence, told Al Jazeera that such attacks were an “epidemic”.

“I’m very shaken up today. Activists in Pakistan have been screaming hoarse about honour killings; it is an epidemic, it takes place not only in towns, but in major cities as well.

{{“What are we going to do as a nation?”}}

Chinoy added that an anti-honour killing bill should be passed.

“It’s upon the lawmakers to punish these people. We need to start making examples of people. It appears it is very easy to kill a woman in this country – and you can walk off scot-free.”

{{Mufti Naeem, a conservative, vocal cleric, condemned the killing.}}

“Her personal life was her business, and killing someone is haram [not permissible in Islam],” he told Al Jazeera. “The brother must be punished – we cannot have any more murders in the name of honour.”

{Serbia announces intent to beef up border patrols as the number of refugees grows due to Hungary’s border controls.}

Serbia will form joint army and police patrols to stem the flow of refugees and migrants, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has said.

Speaking on Saturday, Vucic said Serbia cannot become a “parking lot” for refugees and migrants heading to Western Europe.

The number of refugees and migrants has grown since Hungary introduced harsh new border controls, leaving thousands bottlenecked on the Serbian side of the border in recent weeks.

“We will form joint army and police teams to protect our border,” Vucic told reporters, but failed to mention how many troops would be involved.

An estimated 2,669 refugees and migrants – including Afghans, Pakistanis and Syrians – are currently in Serbia, Vucic said.

Vucic threatened that refugees and migrants entering Serbia without documents – and who haven’t applied for asylum – will be expelled from the country within 30 days, adding that the country can accommodate between 6,000 and 7,000 asylum seekers.

More than a million refugees and migrants reached European shores by boat in 2015, according to the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR.

Nearly 240,000 people have made the journey across the Mediterranean so far this year.

Serbia lies on the Balkan route crossed by hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and economic devastation since last year on their way to Western Europe.

Although the route was effectively closed in March when the European Union and Turkey reached a deal to halt the flow of refugees to Europe, many people continue to make the treacherous journey, usually with the help of human smugglers.

Serbian authorities said recently that 102,000 refugees and migrants had been registered since the start of the year – more than 500 a day.

{{‘Push backs’ }}

The UNHCR has expressed concern over allegations that Hungary has been using “push backs” – a practice barred under international law – to keep refugees and migrants from crossing into Hungary from Serbia.

An estimated 1,400 refugees and migrants are stuck on the Serbian side of the border due to new Hungarian measures.

In September 2015, Hungary built a razor-wire fence along the 175-kilometre border in order to stem the flow of refugees and migrants.

“We are deeply concerned about further restrictions by Hungary leading to push-backs of people seeking asylum and reports about the use of violence and abuse,” UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said in a statement.

Introduced last week, Hungarian forces can detain and expel any refugee or migrant found within eight kilometres of the border without a legal process.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the measures, saying they violate international law.

In a report released earlier this week, HRW detailed allegations that Hungarian forces have used violence and force against refugees and migrants.

The report quoted an unidentified man as saying: “I haven’t even seen such beating in the movies.”

“Five or six soldiers took us one by one to beat us. They tied our hands with plastic handcuffs on our backs. They beat us with everything, with fists, kicks and batons. They deliberately gave us bad injuries.”

Lydia Gall, HRW’s regional researcher, said that “the abuse of asylum seekers and migrants runs counter to Hungary’s obligations under European Union law, refugee law and human rights law.”

{Pro-government forces make advances in northern Latakia as the US and Russia agree to cooperate against al-Nusra Front.}

Syrian government forces have taken control of a major town in the coastal province of Latakia, as fierce fighting continues in areas across the country.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regained control of Kinsabba on Saturday as Russian air strikes backed them.

Syrian journalist Eyad al-Hosain, who is embedded with the troops, said government forces now control of Kinsabba and the hills surrounding it, southwest of the city of Jisr al-Shughur. He wrote on his Facebook page that the battle lasted 12 hours.

Syrian government forces first captured Kinsabba in February after it was held by rebels for weeks.

Rebels, including members of al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, regained control of the town on July 1.

In the divided city of Aleppo, air strikes killed at least 20 civilians, including five children, in the eastern, opposition-held neighbourhoods.

The Syrian conflict started as a mostly unarmed uprising against Assad in March 2011, but it quickly evolved into a full-scale civil war.

An estimated 280,000 people have died throughout the five-year conflict, the Syrian Observatory estimates.

{{US-Russia cooperation }}

The continued fighting came one day after US Secretary of State John Kerry said his country and Russia agreed to cooperate in Syria against the al-Nusra Front, the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Kerry said the details of the agreement “define specific, sequential responsibilities all parties to the conflict must assume with the intent of stopping, all together, the indiscriminate bombing of the Assad regime and stepping up our efforts against al-Nusra”.

Syrian rebel groups, including the Free Syrian Army, insist there is no military cooperation with al-Nusra.

Syrian journalist Mahmoud Al Basha said al-Nusra has tried to “mix” with other rebels as part of a strategy.

“They will be among these groups, so it will be very difficult for air strikes… and Western countries bombing them and targeting them,” he told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Gaziantep in neighbouring Turkey, says targeting the armed group “won’t be easy”.

“In some areas, al-Nusra shares territory with the opposition and are embedded with them on the battlefield,” she said. “In other areas, al-Nusra has local alliances with factions that are backed by the US and some Arab countries.”

{Qandeel Baloch found dead in family home after being asphyxiated by her unrepentant brother.}

Karachi, Pakistan – Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch, who was known for her daring posts, has been killed by her brother.

Police on Saturday told Al Jazeera that Baloch’s father, Mohammed Azeem, had filed a case against his son Waseem Azeem. The father also testified against another of his sons, who works in the army and reportedly encouraged his sibling to carry out the killing.

Waseem was in the family home in Multan when Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, died.

Both sons went missing as news of the killing spread.

But late on Saturday, Waseem was found some 100 kilometres from Multan in Dera Ghazi Khan and arrested. Police presented him with his face covered during a press conference, during which he said he “killed for honour” and had “no regrets”.

Nabila Ghazzanfar, a Punjab Police spokeswoman said that the initial post-mortem showed that the 26-year-old’s nose and mouth had been pinned shut before she died, blocking off her airways. She had not, contrary to earlier reports, been strangled, Ghazzanfar added.

READ MORE: Pakistan’s laws fail to check violence against women

Baloch divided opinion in Pakistan, a largely conservative nation, as she appeared on television to speak about female empowerment, often dressed in non-traditional, revealing, clothes.

She began her career by auditioning on Pakistan Idol and soon after launched a social media enterprise, posting videos that went viral.

On her final, July 4 post to her Facebook page, which has almost 800,000 fans, she wrote: “I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices. ”

Her apparent “honour killing” has caused outrage.

‘Honour killings are epidemic’

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who won an Oscar for a film about honour-based violence, told Al Jazeera that such attacks were an “epidemic”.

“I’m very shaken up today. Activists in Pakistan have been screaming hoarse about honour killings; it is an epidemic, it takes place not only in towns, but in major cities as well.

“What are we going to do as a nation?”

Chinoy added that an anti-honour killing bill should be passed.

“It’s upon the lawmakers to punish these people. We need to start making examples of people. It appears it is very easy to kill a woman in this country – and you can walk off scot free.”

During screenings of Chinoy’s recent documentary Girl in the River, in which a father tries to kill his daughter, she had heard people cheering for the father.

“It is a mindset we have to change,” she said.

After the release of a recent music video in which Baloch starred, the celebrity’s ex-husband Aashiq Hussain revealed intimate details of their relationship.

The story of her personal life was scrutinised in the media. She was pitted against clerics and her former husband, and cried publicly about torture and abuse she suffered during the short marriage.

Last month, she posted a series of selfies with a leading cleric, Mufti Abdul Qavi – a member of the “moon-sighting” committee, again causing a furore. During their meeting, the cleric reportedly proposed. A video shows Baloch sitting on the cleric’s lap, while photos show her wearing his traditional wool cap.

‘She was more than Kim Kardashian’

Fasi Zaka, a radio show host, told Al Jazeera: “She was the most self-exposed person, and what was different about her is that she was from a poor background. She did all this on her own. She is much more than Kim Kardashian, she went against the norms of society – and went on do what she wanted, on her own terms.”

Mufti Naeem, a conservative, vocal cleric, condemned the killing.

“Her personal life was her business, and killing someone is haram [not permissible in Islam],” he told Al Jazeera. “The brother must be punished – we cannot have any more murders in the name of honour.”

Sherry Rahman, a Senator and outspoken advocate for the rights of women and minorities, called for the national assembly to pass an anti-honour killing bill.

She said: “Assuming that Qandeel Baloch’s brother will probably be arrested and punished for murder because of the high profile [nature] of the case, the fact remains that an essentially right-wing government is sitting on vital amendments in the Pakistan Criminal Procedure Code that would disallow justice to be privatised for crimes against women.”

Natasha Ansari, who helped organise the Karachi event, said the media should have acted more responsibly when covering stories about Baloch. “In a country where lives are easily at risk, media has responsibility to protect them instead of making tabloid issues out of them.”

“She was killed because she said and did things that made people feel uncomfortable and angry,” said Erum Haider, a Karachi native and PhD student at Georgetown University. “We feel that there is no value to a woman’s life if she doesn’t live in a particular way … in the bounds of what a conservative, patriachal society expects of you. We’re here to protest that.”

Nida Kirmani, who teaches sociology at Lahore University, said: “[She was] a woman who was living life on her own terms she wasn’t afraid … she was fun, loud, bold brash and beautiful – we would like to drown out those voices who think she deserved it because of the way she was behaving.”

{Police arrest five people as ISIL claims responsibility for the attack that killed 84 people on Bastille Day.}

Five people have been in arrested in France in connection with a lorry attack that killed at least 84 people in the city of Nice, as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the carnage on the country’s main national holiday.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Saturday that police had arrested five people believed to be linked to Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the man suspected of ramming a lorry on Thursday night through a large crowd celebrating Bastille Day. Bouhele was shot dead by police.

One of the men being held was arrested on Friday and four others on Saturday morning, a judicial source told AFP news agency. The estranged wife of the Bouhlel is also still being held by authorities.

The arrests came as ISIL, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The person who carried out the operation in Nice, France, to run down people was one of the soldiers of Islamic State,” Amaq, an ISIL-linked website, said on Saturday via its Telegram account.

“He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State,” the statement said, using a different name for ISIL.

French authorities said they were checking the claim.

Al Jazeera’s David Chater, reporting from Nice, said there was still no evidential trail that linked the suspect to ISIL.

“Authorities are nowhere near yet establishing that he was a so-called soldier of ISIL,” he said. “They [ISIL] might have claimed the attack but no connection has yet been found between the armed group and the driver,” Chater added.

“He’s more being described as a loner; psychologists called him as man who wanted to go from zero to hero; he wanted to establish himself but, looking at his past, he was very much a manic depressive, apparently, who had violent feats and rages.

France has declared three days of national mourning for the Bastille Day massacre, in which the lorry careered for hundreds of metres along the Promenade des Anglais seafront, slamming into families and friends after a firework display marking the anniversary of the 1789 revolutionary storming of the Bastille.

The attack also injured more than 200 people and left the area strewn with bodies, including many children.

Speaking from Nice on Friday, French President Francois Hollande said about 50 people were in a critical condition, still “between life and death” after the attack.

Bouhlel, 31, was originally from Tunisia. Authorities said he was married with three children. He was known to French police, but not to intelligence officials.

{Erdogan wants businessman Fethullah Gulen sent back from the US, accusing him of being behind failed coup.}

US-Turkish tensions have grown after government forces put down an attempted coup on Friday night.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused exiled Turkish businessman and cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the violence and is demanding the US extradite him.

Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, denied any involvement and condemned the coup attempt.

Secretary of State John Kerry told his Turkish counterpart in a phone call that Turkey needs to respect due process as it investigates those it believes were involved in the plot.

At least one senior Turkish official has directly blamed the US for the attempt to topple Erdogan. That prompted Kerry to tell Turkey’s foreign minister that “public insinuations” about a US role are “utterly false” and harmful to US-Turkish relations.

The exchange comes against the backdrop of Turkey closing its airspace, effectively grounding US fighter jets that have been targeting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) forces in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

Purge launched

Turkey has begun a purge of soldiers and judiciary officials allegedly connected to the plot.

By Saturday evening, the government had detained 2,839 military personnel, with the number of arrests expected to rise, according to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Turkey’s top judicial body, the HSYK, dismissed 2,745 judges on Saturday, according to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.

Additionally, a senior Turkish official told Al Jazeera that at least two judges from the constitutional court and 10 judges from the HSYK had been detained.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the judges were detained based on “financial transactions and communications between the individuals in question and the putschists”, but added that detention did not necessarily mean conviction.

Another senior official, also speaking anonymously, told Al Jazeera that a top army general was also detained over his alleged involvement.

“General Erdal Ozturk, commander of the Third Army, has been detained,” he said.

“Our sense is that the would-be junta had made preparations for some time. They had determined which military officers would take over as governors, heads of government agencies … but they were forced to rush due to the upcoming Supreme Military Council meeting,” he added.

The coup attempt began at around 19:30 GMT on Friday with the partial closure by troops of two major bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul.

“Their immediate goal was to seize control of key areas like the Bosphorus Bridge or Taksim Square,” the same official told Al Jazeera.

“In Ankara, they tried to storm the Presidential Palace, the Prime [Minister’s office], the National Intelligence Organization and the Parliament. They also attempted to take down the satellite infrastructure and, in some areas, seized control of telecommunications hubs,” he added.

Another official told the Associated Press news agency that Ozturk was one of the “masterminds of the coup”.

{Most say they are afraid of at least one of two presumptive presidential nominees becoming president, new poll finds.}

The vast majority of Americans say they are afraid of at least one of the two major candidates – the Democratic Party’s Hillary Clinton and the Republicans’ Donald Trump – winning the US presidential election, according to a new poll.

More than four-fifths (81 percent) of Americans say they would feel afraid following the election of one of the two presumptive US presidential nominees, a poll by The Associated Press-GfK said on Thursday. That figure includes a quarter who say it does not matter who wins: they are scared of both.

The online poll of 1,009 adults was conducted between July 7 and 11.

Three-quarters of voters say their pick for president is motivated by a desire to cast their vote against Clinton or Trump, more than those who say they are voting for the candidate who shares their positions on the issues or is the most qualified to hold the office.

“I really don’t love either of the candidates. What do they say? It’s a choice between hot and hell,” said Annette Scott, 70, of Monmouth County, New Jersey.

{{Unfavourable views}}

Fifty-seven percent have an unfavourable view of Clinton, compared with 37 percent who have a favourable view.

Sixty-three percent have a negative view of Trump, compared to the 31 percent who think well of him.

Fifty-six percent of Americans said they would feel afraid and 48 percent say they would feel regret if Trump becomes president – in contrast to just 22 percent saying that a Trump win would make them proud and 26 percent excited.

Clinton does not fare much better: If she is elected president, 48 percent say they would be afraid and 46 percent say they would feel regretful. Only 27 percent of Americans would be proud of that choice, and 26 percent would be excited at her election.

The poll was conducted after the FBI recommended that Clinton should not face criminal charges for her use of a private email account and servers as secretary of state.

More than half of Americans said they believed Clinton broke the law by using private servers and a private email account for classified material.

In recent weeks, Clinton has started to acknowledge that many voters simply do not trust her.

“I personally know that I have work to do on this front,” she said in Chicago last month. “You can’t just talk someone into trusting you. You’ve got to earn it.”

Still, for Clinton, there was some good news in the poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans think she will win the election.

Forty-seven percent of Trump’s supporters consider him only slightly or not at all civil; 39 percent say he is slightly or not at all likeable; and 31 percent say he is only slightly or not at all qualified. Of those backing him, 14 percent consider him at least somewhat racist.

But even while they voice concerns about their own candidate, vast majorities of voters see the alternative as far worse.

Eighty percent of Trump supporters and three-quarters of Clinton backers say a major reason for their support is opposition to the other candidate.

{Thousands demonstrate against corruption despite decree that said rally would be treated as “terrorist threat”.}

Thousands of Iraqis have defied a protest ban and rallied in the heart of the capital, Baghdad, to demand an end to sectarianism and corruption.

The demonstrators massed in Tahrir Square on Friday, holding placards reading “Yes, yes to reform. No, no to sectarianism. No, no to corruption”.

The protest went ahead despite the security forces warning late on Thursday that the rally called by the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was “unauthorised” and would be treated as a “terrorist threat”.

Sadr has led repeated protests in recent months, some of them breaching the central Green Zone government and diplomatic compound.

Sadr has been calling for political and economic reforms, including the formation of a government of technocrats, to put an end to what he says is a corrupt power-sharing system between the country’s rival sectarian and political factions.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi first called for a new cabinet including technocrats in February but has faced significant opposition from powerful political forces that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

Some of Abadi’s cabinet nominees were approved in April, but in a blow to the prime minister, a court later scrapped the parliamentary session.

Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s former national security adviser, said that he did not blame protesters for being angry over the many problems the country was facing, but cautioned against confrontations.

“I dont blame them for becoming angry … but I call upon the protesters to keep it peaceful,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This should not transform into confrontation with police or army. They should avoid storming government offices.”

{US advises support for elected government, Iran calls for unity and Germany condemns attempts to alter democratic order.}

An army group in Turkey declared a coup and martial law late on Friday, saying they had “taken control of the country”. But thousands of peopled heeded a call by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, taking to the streets to oppose the toppling of the government.

Turkish officials said on Saturday that more than 2,800 military personnel had been detained over the arrested coup that had failed.

Here is a selection of statements and reactions from Turkey and leaders around the world.

In a TV statement, the army group said: “Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a FaceTime call to broadcaster CNN Turk, said he remained the leader of the country and the head of the army and called for people to take to the streets against the coup. “We will overcome this,” he said, speaking on a video call to a mobile phone held up to the camera by a presenter. He called on his followers to take to the streets to defend his government and said the coup plotters would pay a heavy price. “I have never recognised any power above the will of the people,” he said.

Speaking to thousands of jubilate supporters after arriving in Istanbul later on Saturday morning, Erdogan said the coup plotters had pointed “the people’s guns against the people.

“The president, whom 52 percent of the people brought to power, is in charge,” Erdogan said. “This government brought to power by the people, is in charge. They won’t succeed as long as we stand against them by risking everything.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for calm. The UN is seeking to clarify the situation.

US President Barack Obama urged all parties in Turkey to back the “democratically-elected” government. Detailing a call between Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, who in Russia for talks on Syria, the White House said both agreed “all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed”.

In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry reiterated its readiness for joint constructive work with Turkey’s legitimate leadership.

“The aggravating political situation against the backdrop of existing terrorist threats in this country and an armed conflict in the region pose increased danger to international and regional stability,” it said.

Russia also called on its citizens in Turkey to stay indoors amid uncertainty about whether a military coup is taking place.

Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was “very concerned about the situation unfolding”. He directed Britons to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, which advises “to avoid public places and remain vigilant” until the situation becomes clearer.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, said “coups have no place in our region and are doomed to fail,” on Twitter. “Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey Stability, democracy & safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity & prudence are imperative,” Zarif added in another tweet.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault condemned the attempted coup, saying he hoped Turkey’s “democracy will emerge strengthened”. “The Turkish population showed its maturity and courage by committing to the respect of its institutions. It paid the price with many victims,” he said in a statement.

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul told CNN Turk that “Turkey is not a Latin America country … I’m calling those who attempt to overthrow the government should go back to their barracks.”

Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Al Jazeera: “Turkey is a democracy … I don’t think this attempt will be successful.” His voice shaking, he added: “There cannot be any attempts to destabilise Turkey. We’re facing so many crisis in Syria and other regions, it’s time to have solidarity with the Turkish people … At this moment people in different cities are in the streets, the squares [protesting] against this coup d’etat attempt.”

The head of the largest opposition party in Turkey, Kemal Kalicdaroglu, of the centre-left People’s Republican Party (CHP), has come out against the coup in a series of tweets, saying the country has “suffered a lot” in past military takeovers.

The democratic order in Turkey must be respected and all must be done to protect lives, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Twitter. Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also condemned “any attempts to change the democratic order in Turkey by force”.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hailed the “strong support” of democracy by the Turkish people. “I welcome the strong support shown by the people and all political parties to democracy and to the democratically elected government of Turkey,” Stoltenberg said on Twitter.

European Council President Donald Tusk called on Saturday for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order. “Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law,” Tusk said at a regional summit in Mongolia. “We call for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order,” he said.

Slovakia, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, said it was following events and coordinating with EU partners. “Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak has been in intensive contact all evening with EU high Foreign Affairs representative Federica Mogherini and other European colleagues,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “He has also been in contact with partners in the Turkish government with the aim to clarify the situation in Turkey and discuss steps that the EU should take with the aim to maintain and support democracy and stability in the country.”

India’s foreign ministry said it was closely following the developments in Turkey. “India calls upon all sides to support democracy and mandate of the ballot and avoid bloodshed,” the ministry said in a statement.

Qatar “expressed its strong denunciation and condemnation of the military coup attempt, lawlessness, and violation of the constitutional legitimacy in the Republic of Turkey”, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Celebratory gunfire erupted in Syria’s capital Damascus as word got out that there was an attempt to topple Erdogan, according to a Reuters news agency report. People took to the streets to celebrate there and in the government-held section of the divided city of Aleppo.

But a Turkey-based Syrian opposition group congratulated the Turkish people for stopping an attempted army coup. In a statement, the Syrian National Coalition said that Turkey protected its democratic institutions “in the face of dark and desperate attempts that sought to take control of the popular will”.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was briefed on the coup and the country’s military forces were holding emergency meetings, according to government officials.

Bulgaria bolstered its patrols on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and appealed to Bulgarians to restrain from travelling to Turkey, the government press office said in a statement. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov held talks with the security and intelligence services on the situation in Turkey, while the foreign ministry urged Bulgarians already in Turkey to stay indoors and avoid any public places.

Mexico’s foreign ministry advised its citizens in Turkey to remain indoors, as it warned against travel to the country until the situation was clear.

The Turkish lira fell heavily after the coup attempt was launched, as much as 5.5 percent against the US dollar.