♪ hostst: welcome toto "global 3" thisis wee we hahangut with h me lovers of the slow life. the future of these mellow creatures, though, is under threat. we go to turkey, where artists are struggling to cope with the increasingly autocratic grip of their government. but first, we head to raqqa in northern syria -- where the battle for the city appears to be in its final throes. for severayears, t iraqi city of mosusul and raqqa a in a were in the hands of the -called islamic state. thena few months agothe iraqi army managed to liberate

mosul. raqqa, though, rained under the terrorists' control. i.s. planned to make it th capital of theiruture caphate. but in june, troops from the northern kurdish territories began liberating the city, gradually putting an end to the terror, arbitrary executions and repression. hundreds of thousandofof peopl norththersyria haha been foed to flee. the fight to liberate raqqa could be over soon -- partly as a result of u.s.s. mitary support ---- but it's been let devastatated. reporter: you could say this man actually got off lightly. he survived a booby trap left behind by retreating i.s. troops. german trauma surgeon michael wilk treats the wounded. he's set up an operating room in a kitchen in an apartment building close to the front.

michael: this was clearly caused by an exploding mine. the man was hit by m many smal pieces of shrapnel in the lower body, and has s several larger wounds on his shououlder and he. but if you consider that he set off a mine, he's actually doing well. reporter: afteter receiving fit aid, the wounded man is evacuated. the trip to the nearest medical facility will take over two hours on heavily damaged roads. there are no functioning hospitals closer to the front. the fight against i.s. has left a trail of death and destruction. the thousands of munitions fired by the u.s.-led coalition and the i.s. car bombs and mortar attacks have turned raqqa into a wasteland. wilk has returned to northern syria again and again, supporting his colleagues from the kurdish red crescent. the battle for raqqa is in its final stages, but danger is a

constant presence. i.s. fighters have been driven out, but they've mined the city extensively. sherwan: before some days we found a family -- six people -- all of them were injured. two died, and some of them lost legs and part of their bodies -- but usually the legs. reporter: a new offensive against i.s. will soon kick off from here, in the northern suburbs of raqqa. wilk and his kurdish colleagues are looking for a safe place to bring the inevitable casualties. the doctor complains that no one thinks about the people killed and wounded in the fighting. michael: what bothers me most is that the kurds who are expected to blast i.s. out of here are sticking out their necks for outside interests. for example, in the interests of the u.s. but far too little is done for the civilians left holding the bag, and too little is done for the fighters themselves. you could say these people are being used. reporter: this kurdish fighter signals us to stay under cover.

i.s. snipers are still hidden in the ruins of the jihadist group's self-declared capital. they're feared by the syrian democratic forces -- the sdf. many of the armed fighters here are e young, still in their tee. the sdf is a group of individual arab and kurdish allied militias trained by american forces. they've paid a high price in the war against i.s. a pickup truck brings more wounded. during an advance, they fell victim to another i.s. booby trap. this medic is a volunteer from sweden. like many other volunteers, he goes by a kurdish pseudonym -- he doesn't want to reveal his real name. in one crucial aspect, the fighting here is different than it was in the iraqi city of mosul earlier this year -- there seem to be no civilians left in raqqa. in three days of shooting at the front, we don't see a single one. reports said coalition

airstrikes killed more than 400 people here in august alone, but that hasn't been confirmed. ciya: no, that's not true. i can only say that if there were that many casualties, there would be a huge amount of bodies being pulled out. and since we've moved d togethr with the k kurds, with thehe ype have seen absolulutely no dead civivilians. reporter: we'll likely never know the real l story. there are many volunteers in the sdf. a fighter calling herself dilan cudi comes from canada. the young woman has been battling i.s. alongside the kurds for two years now. dilan: we don't want to wait until they come to our countries. and we come and d join the ypg because ththey're alalready ins struggle, and they'v've been n this struggle for countless years.s. they'v've asked the internatiol commununy to come e and help. so because of this we are now coming to their aid. reporter: as we leave raqqa, the streets everywhere are full of civilians fleeing the conflict

-- these come from deir ezzor. wilk is heading to a refugee camp near the city. as the battle for raqqa wraps up, the fighting has moved here. some days, 1000 people arrive at the camp looking for food, safety and shelter. almost all are arabs, not kurds. they're just trying to get out of the conflict zone -- away from i.s. and its fighters, who use local women and children as human shields, and force the men to fight at the front. the kurdish red crescent runs one of the camp's two mobile clinics. michael wilk is not just a doctor -- he's also an activist. he doesn't reject ideas expressed by the pkk's militant leader abdullah ocalan that have a major influence on kurdish self-government in the region. without the kurds, says wilk, the arab refugees here would be in serious trouble.

michael: yesterday i was in a newly built hospital building. i saw it before back in february. itit'll open sn.n. i.s. bombs things to bitits, tn the kurds build them back up again. that's what gives you hope. and in t their model, n n and women haveve equ righthts, whih is something you don't find anywhere else in this region. in o other words, there's a glimmer of hope in the midst of disaster. reporter: hope? well, maybe in a limited sense. but not hope for an end to the war in syria. this man and his family just managed to escape the fighting. he thinks i.s. will be driven from both raqqa and deir ezzor. but he doesn't expect things to get much better. abu: there'll just be new fights -- between the free syrian army, the sdf or the regime. everyone wants the country for themselves. no one wants to compromise. we won't have peace for a long time to come. reporter: the so-called caliphate proclaimed by i.s. is crumbling, and will soon fall.

but for the people of the region, peace and security are still a very distant dream. host: since the civil war began in neighboring syria, turkey has taken in around three million refugees -- an impressive humanitarian achievement. and yet, turkey's own political system is becoming i increasiny autocratic. since the attempted coup against president erdogan on 15th july, 202016, more than 50,000 peope have been arrested and more than 150,000 have been forced out of their jobs. more than 130 newspapers, publishers, and broadcasters have been shut down, as have more than 1000 non-governmental organizations. fear hangs heavy over the country's arts scene, too, bringing its own consequences. reporter: here in the beyoglu district of istanbul, it's openening night for r a new exhibition at the mars gallery.

pinar ogrenci is nervous, because in addition to being the gallery owner, she will be presenting her own art alongside that of three other artists. her video installations address the subject of war and expulsion. pinar: it's not just people who migrate. their songs and instruments move with them, as i've shown in my film. it's about a whole culture looking for a new place to settle. reporter: pinar is originally from the other side of the country -- from the town of van near the iraqi border -- and studied architecture. over the years, the art she produced tended to focus on urban transformation. but more recently she has turned her attention to war and migration -- the latter, something many artists in turkey can relate to.

pinar: the growing violence and pressure in society have inevitably had an impact on us artists. inin the last t two years, and especially iththe last six months, that pressure has prompted a lot of artists to leave. and not just artists, but also curators, authors, musicians, and other colleagues from the arts scene. reporter: a lot of those artists have come to izmir on the west coast -- the third biggest city in turkey, and considered the secular stronghold in the country. since the 1970's, izmir has been run by politicians from left-wing non-religious parties. and over the past year or so, izmir has seen its reputation as a refuge for artists and intellectuals grow. musician sevket uyanik came here from istanbul six months ago. he finds life and the people here far more relaxed. sevket also works as a communications expert for the turkish pirate party.

he says censorship has increased considerably since the state of emergency was declared in july, 2016. sevket: a range of theaters and cultural centers have been closed down. film festivals have been cancelled, and there's been a major clamp-down on art examining the situation in the east of the country. censorship is really bad, but self-censorship is worse. it used to be parents telling their kids what they could or couldn't say. now we've started to do it by ourselves. and that's dangerous. reporter: sevket takes us out to meet some friends at a cafe. kazim is a documentary film-maker. mehmet is an actor. both men have recently experienced censorship at first hand. mehmet's theater was shut down by d decree of the authoritie, with no recourse to the courts.

mehmet: inititially, they saidt wawas a temporary closure, for0 days. but the theater remained shut, and we'r're still waiting g for answers to the queuestion of w. there's a lot of intimidation at the moment. as an artist you wonder, what did i do? i did nothing wrong. it's plain unjust. reportrter: kazim was arrestedn april, while filming protests against the controversial referendum that would give president erdogan new powers. once in police custody, he was suddenly charged with insulting the president -- a criminal offence. after three months in detention, he was released -- but will soon have to stand trial. kazim: in a country where the rule of law applies, you'd expectct me to be acquitteted. but we're living ia titime where you can't predict anything -- especiallyly not when the cours are involved.

reporter: despite the problems, leaving turkey is not really an option for most of the artists. mehmet: i don't want to go abroad. we love our country and want to stay here. i only want to go to germany if it's part of a theater tour. kazim: the work i want to do is connected to this country. although if conditions get even tougher, i might have to think about emigrating. reporter: back in istanbul, we accompany pinar to the istanbul biennial -- a two-month showcase for over 50 contemporary artists from turkey and abroad. this year's event faced ininternational criticisism. the organizers and the motto -- a good neighbor -- were accused of being too timid and apolitical. pinar sees things differently. she's just happy that the biennial is taking place at all.

pinar: one of the biggest problems we have at the moment is that foreigners no longer want to come to istanbul. that includedepeople frorom te art scene, w we used to o work with a lot. and them staying away has left a hole. so we're really looking forward to seeing our friends from abroad at the biennial. reporter: it's at times when art is under pressure, says pinar, that its role becomes all the more important. pinar: we know we're going through difficult times at the moment -- and that our scope for movement is limited. but we will continue to try and keep istanbul's cultural landscape alive, by doing all we can. host: what's your opinion? will there ever be peace and

democracy inin the islamic wor? we have more about human rights and freedom of speech onon our fafacebook page -- dw global society. write to us, and don't forget to follow us, too. this week, our reporters went on the hunt again for tasty snacks, and struck gold in sweden. reporter: stockholm is built on water. there's certainly no shortage of fish here -- herring, in particular. and it's not just the seagulls which find t them tasty. for 30 years now, the ahmed family has been running a fast food stall here. though they have north african roots, they serve up typical swedish food. ahmed: here in sweden, our smashed potatoes are always homemade and always fresh doing it in the morning.

reporter: : first, the herrings fried until it's golden-brown. ahmed: herring is a traditional swedish meal, that they always like to eat, you know? reporter: nail ahmed only dishes ththem up when they're really crispy. the snack is then garnished with parsley, and pickled cucumber, red onions, and homemade coleslaw. there's crisp bread to go with it -- another very swedish specialty. ahmed: ever since i was a child, i've been here. i love this taste. i really didn't like fish at the beginning. but when i tried this one, i loved it. i fell i in love with h this pe and i decided to work and gain my expertise and my experience

in this place until i got the place from my fatherer. reporter: and business is brisk. thanks also to his stand's central location, nail sells over 1000 meals on sunny summer days. and for sweden, it's also very reasonably priced. just 75 swedish krona, or just under eight euros. over the years, the stand has built up a regular clientele. many here appreciate the stand's local food. >> they are open all week -- all year long, but i really prefer to eat it when it is a little bit warmer outside. so, on a summer afternoon. that's a gooood time. ahmed: until today i havave may customers that come to me and say, i had eating this plate 20 years ago and this still taste the same and the same concept, because we donon't change our recipe. it has been the same recipes for

over two, three decades and it's still ongoing and we are not trying to change anything like this. host: suriname is south america's smallest nation. and it's's 90% rainforest, too- unlike any other country on the planet. but deforestation is on the rise, and sloths in particular are at risk. our repoporter bettina thoma mea woman dedicating her life to protecting these enigmatic tree-dwellers. reporter: we'r're heading fofa slototh sanctuary.y. it's the only one in suriname for these unusual mammals. isa and her fellow sloths are being tended by a team of conservationists. the youngest resident is just 18 months old. the manager of the sanctuary is

monique pool. ananother emergency call. it's the third just this week. the caller h has found a slothn her gagarden, and shshe's hohg someonone can help her -- - f. monique: people know that they can call somewhere. normally they'd call the zoo, previously, but then the zoo didn't take the animals, and neither did the animal protection society, but we do, so we go and pick up the animals. reporter: the capital, paramaribo, is an hour's drive away. it's also the tiny south american country's only major city. monique is so attached to sloths that she decided to give up her profession as a translator. it's a job with a lot of variety. she never knows quite what to expect. she started working with the animals 12 years ago and has gained a lot of experience over

the years. monique: ok. ok. he's very aggressive. extremely aggressive. i'm not used to this. reporter: the man suspects that neighbors had been keeping the three-toed sloth as a pet. normally, the creatures are very peaceful. they only hit or scratch when they're frightened. time for the next rescue operation. this time the animal is a lot more easygoing. monique sees each visit as an opportunity to educate people. monique: people now know that they're a protected species and they want to help to protect them. sometimes people are so helpful that they take them off the road and bring them to us, while they could have put them in the forest. reporter: increasingly, the activist finds herself collecting confused or injured

animals who have strayed into the city. one of the biggest problems is forest clearance. this used to be a rainforest. now there are plans to build new housing estates here covering several hundred square kilometers. and that's just one construction projoject among many. the capital is expanding, destroying the sloths' natural habitats. in the sanctuary, the animals are immediately tended to by volunteers. the project is financed entirely frfr donationsns. the team sets off in the early morning to collect leaves while they're still crisp and fresh. leaves and buds are the sloths' food of choice. and they appear to be very

partial to cecropia leaves. monique: these leaves are something the sloths like a lot. it's from a pioneer tree, so wherever land is disturbed or forest is disturbed, they come up first and they grow very fast. and they have a very high protein content, not only the leaves but also the fruits, as well. reporter: feeding sloths is an art in its own right. the animals have a very delicate digestive system. the volunteers have to know exactly how much feed to give each one. otherwise, they can get si.. the really young ones get easily digestible goat's milk. sloths need a lot of time to digest their meals. their extremely slow metabolism is also the reason why the

creature moves at such a languid pace. monique is worried about christine and has sent for the vet. her claws were cut when she was in captivity, and she seems very apathetic. the animals can't hold on to anything without claws -- or scratch themselves -- part of their daily ritual. cleopatra: we should b be very careful wiwith what to treat ad how to treat them with. for example with antibiotics, we can't give that too regularly bebeuse it couould be harmful r them, instead of helping them. reporter: the sloth remains a mystery in many ways -- even for scientists. isisa has bebeen living with moe since e her birt the animal has become so used to her that it's nono longer possie

to set her free in the wild. monique: they are very special animals. they are quite amazing. they are very laid back, as you can see. they are very intelligent, and they are curious. you see, she's interacting also with us. they are just amazing to watch. they're relaxed. maybe they are a lot of things i'm not. so that's also why i am fascinated by them. reporter: monique doesn't get much time to relax. the healthy animals have to be returned to the wild as quickly as possible. the rainforest starts right behind the sanctuary. the animals feel safe there. for monique, this is a alwaysa very special moment.

monique: it's always the best part of the whole process. you know, getting ththem froma garden andnd then lettining the. itit's just fantastic. thiss whwhere ey belelon