In Türkiye, as main opposition CHP leader Özgür Özel called on the masses who filled İstanbul’s Saraçhane Square despite police batons, pepper spray and threats of arrest to resist the “one-man regime”, US President Donald Trump endorsed Erdoğan as “a good leader”. Trump gave this support during a meeting on March 25 at the White
At its March 27 meeting, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Board (RTÜK) imposed the heaviest fines ever on TV channels that do not toe the government line. With the fines, Sözcü TV received a 10-day blackout penalty, and the cancellation of its broadcasting license is now imminent. According to RTÜK member İlhan Taşçı, who
The first tangible outcome of the “Öcalan Initiative” – which MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli initiated by shaking hands with DEM Party members at the Parliament’s opening on October 1 – materialized on December 28. With President Tayyip Erdoğan’s approval, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç granted permission for two DEM Party heavyweights, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya
Like many others, I have been watching Türkiye’s policies regarding immigrants, refugees, and foreigners, especially the citizenship process, with growing concern for a long time. The lack of transparency, ambiguous statistics, and the failure to clearly articulate the purpose of the pursued policies have transformed this process into one of the worst examples in the
Since the May 2023 election defeat, Türkiye’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has grappled with internal conflicts that have taken a toll on the party. However, in addition to this, an unprecedented situation has emerged in Turkish politics: the CHP, not President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), appears to
The number of soldiers who were killed in the PKK attack on the Turkish Armed Forces base in the Khakurk region of Iraq on December 22 has risen to 12, according to the statements released by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MSB) as of December 24. The ministry released two statements on December 22
There used to be universities in Türkiye. I say ‘used to’ because universities in Türkiye have now become institutions that have lost their value and deviated from their purpose. In my recent interview on my radio program Antroposen Sohbetler (Anthropocene Conversations) on Açık Radio, I hosted journalist journalist Tuğba Tekerek. Our focus in the interview
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan continues his series of renouncing his actions and rules. Let us list the first ones that come to mind. The supremacy of ECHR rulings according to Article 90 of the Constitution, has come up for discussion again with the recent judicial crisis. Exiting the İstanbul Convention against violence against women. The
Dilan Polat, who gained fame and made much money in a short time as a “social media influencer” (with 6,8 million Instagram followers) was detained in the early morning of November 1, 2023 in İstanbul. Along with Dilan Polat, her husband Engin Polat, her sister Sıla Doğu, her brother-in-law Kürşat Polat, and Ahmet Gün, all