Justice System and Everyday Life in Türkiye
🖤 Academic and Writer Yalçın Küçük Dies Aged 87
Yalçın Küçük, the writer, researcher, and academic known for his distinctive style and at times controversial theses, has died in Ankara at the age of 87. Küçük, who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for some time, passed away at midday today. No announcement has yet been made regarding funeral arrangements.
⚖️ Organised Crime Boss Kaplan Ejected From Courtroom After Shouting ‘FETÖ Members’ at Police Officers Who Arrested Him
The retrial of the Ayhan Bora Kaplan organised crime case produced chaotic scenes at Ankara’s Sincan prison courthouse when Kaplan and the police officers who originally arrested him — and who were later themselves imprisoned on the basis of what WhatsApp messages subsequently revealed to be an elaborate fabrication — found themselves in the dock together for the first time. Kaplan prompted uproar by shouting at the officers “aren’t you FETÖ members?”, to which former organised crime chief Şevket Demircan retorted that it was Kaplan’s own organisation that had FETÖ connections, pointing to messages showing how investigation information was leaked to fugitive journalist Cevheri Güven. Former deputy police chief Murat Çelik declared he is “FETÖ’s number one enemy.” When Kaplan’s family in the public gallery joined in shouting “FETÖ members” at the officers and other gang members directed obscene abuse at them, the presiding judge ordered Kaplan and his relatives removed — before relenting and allowing Kaplan back in for a final chance. The hearing also featured the first courtroom appearance of Serdar Sertçelik — the gang’s former second-in-command who became a secret witness, fled abroad, publicly revealed the frame-up operation, and has now returned to Turkey — who claimed in his defence that the WhatsApp messages found on his phone were fabricated by the police, and that he exposed the conspiracy through his overseas broadcasts. The judge, noting Sertçelik had been waiting three years for this moment, remarked drily: “Then you should have come back sooner, Serdar.”
⛏️ Istanbul Bar Calls for Mining Tender Halt as 485 Sites Cover Area Larger Than Istanbul Itself
The Istanbul Bar Association’s Environment, Urban Planning and Land Law Commission has called on the government to abandon the tender process for 485 mining sites announced by the Energy Ministry’s MAPEG directorate in February, warning that the combined area of 548,696 hectares — larger than the entire surface area of Istanbul — includes roughly one third that comprises forest, farmland, pasture, and water catchment areas. The commission notes that 296 sites have already been tendered since March, that the majority fall under the heavy metal mining category carrying serious environmental risks, and that a law passed in July 2025 has stripped away citizens’ ability to challenge such projects through administrative appeals and courts, overriding years of legal precedent built up through administrative court rulings. The statement also highlights the detention of Esra Işık, a villager from Muğla’s İkizköy who was arrested whilst exercising her constitutional right to object to a compulsory purchase order during a site inspection — despite, the commission says, no legal grounds for detention existing. Citing fatal mining disasters in Erzincan İliç, Bursa Yenişehir, Giresun, Uşak, and Ordu as evidence of what happens when public oversight and objection mechanisms are removed, the commission called for the tender process to be suspended and the legislation enabling it to be reconsidered.
📊 Files Under Turkey’s Presidential Insult and State Defamation Laws Surpass 82,000 as Cases Triple Since 2017
The number of active case files under Articles 299 and 301 of the Turkish Penal Code — which criminalise insulting the president and defaming state institutions, and are widely regarded as the primary legal tools used to suppress free expression — reached 82,992 by the end of 2025, according to Justice Ministry data published on 6 April, covering both public prosecutor’s offices and criminal courts. The figure represents a threefold increase since 2017, when the total stood at 27,396, and has risen every year since the switch to the presidential system of government in 2018. In 2025 alone, prosecutors opened 28,105 new files under the two articles, with a further 9,348 cases pending in criminal courts. The annual trajectory in public prosecutor’s offices tells the story of the acceleration: from 44,717 in 2020, the figure climbed to 48,069 in 2021, 51,077 in 2022, 53,583 in 2023, 56,459 in 2024, and 59,780 in 2025. The surge has coincided with a period in which numerous journalists, public figures, and ordinary citizens have faced prosecution for social media posts, news reports, and public statements — including the recent detention of commentator Fatih Altaylı on charges derived from a manipulated video.
👦 330,000 Child Crime Files Open in Turkey as 23,000 Children Sentenced to Prison in 2025
Turkey’s child crime figures paint an increasingly alarming picture, with Justice Ministry data showing 330,496 active investigation files involving children drawn into crime at public prosecutor’s offices in 2025, of which 187,300 were opened during the year alone. Criminal courts handled 184,529 child cases — up from 177,907 in 2024 — with final verdicts reached in 112,867 cases over the course of the year. A total of 23,464 children received custodial sentences in 2025. The most common offences were deliberate injury, theft, insult, threats, and criminal damage. More than 5,000 children committed offences involving weapons or knives, with 673 children aged 12 to 14 and 4,901 aged 15 to 17 facing proceedings under the Firearms and Knives Law. A further 299 children — including 46 aged 12 to 14 — faced proceedings under the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations, indicating that children are also being prosecuted for participation in public protests. The data comes against a backdrop of high-profile violent incidents involving minors, including the stabbing death of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in Istanbul and the robbery of an 11-year-old in Hatay by three peers armed with a toy gun.
🏘️ Constitutional Court Upholds Law Converting Municipalities With Fewer Than 2,000 Residents Back Into Villages
Turkey’s Constitutional Court has rejected a CHP challenge to a provision requiring municipalities whose populations fall below 2,000 to be converted back into villages, ruling the measure constitutional. The court found that the regulation falls within the legislature’s discretion, serves the legitimate aim of providing more effective and efficient public services, and does not conflict with the rule of law, the principle that public legal entities must be dissolved by statute, or the principle of local government autonomy. The court also noted that the conversion does not take effect until the next local election cycle, preserving the mandate of those elected under the current municipal structure for the remainder of their term, and that residents retain the right to elect village administrative bodies thereafter. CHP had argued that the measure lacks public interest justification, would accelerate population loss from smaller settlements, and violates legal certainty by tying administrative structures to fluctuating census data.
🔍 ‘Child Protection Cover for Digital Surveillance Infrastructure,’ Freedom of Expression Group Warns
Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD) has warned that a proposed amendment to Law 5651 requiring social media users to verify their age via the government’s e-Devlet portal would in practice create a direct link between users’ real identities and their social media accounts, effectively ending anonymous online expression and building what the group calls a digital surveillance infrastructure under the guise of protecting children. Under the model described to a parliamentary committee, users would first log into e-Devlet and receive a digital verification token confirming they meet the age requirement before accessing social media platforms. İFÖD argues the system would go far beyond age verification, exposing journalists, activists, trade unionists, and dissenting citizens to heightened risk by making anonymous criticism impossible and creating a chilling effect on free expression. The association also raised technical concerns about multiple account holders, account transfers, children accessing platforms through family members’ credentials, and the unclear status of users based abroad. It called on media outlets to highlight the gap between the child protection framing and what it described as the measure’s true purpose — establishing a digital panopticon in which everyone is monitored and profiled — and demanded the proposal be withdrawn on grounds that it poses serious risks to freedom of expression, privacy, and personal data protection.
Politics
🏛️ Erdoğan Rules Out By-Election and Early Vote: ‘Our Only Agenda Is Keeping Turkey Away From the Fire’
President Erdoğan has firmly closed the door on the by-election push being promoted by the opposition, telling reporters after a two-and-a-half-hour cabinet meeting that neither early nor by-elections feature anywhere in the government’s near-term political plans, and warning that no one will be allowed to hijack Turkey’s agenda with artificial controversies. Erdoğan said Turkey’s sole focus is shielding the country from the regional conflagration and putting more bread on citizens’ tables, and that the government is engaged in a legal battle against those who have siphoned off resources that should have gone to investment, production, and development. On the economic impact of the Middle East war, Erdoğan said Turkey faces no supply problems with energy, fertiliser, or food, and that the eşel mobil fuel price buffer mechanism has already absorbed 50 billion lira in additional costs on behalf of the state. He said inspections targeting war profiteers exploiting the crisis to raise prices excessively are continuing at full intensity, and expressed satisfaction that Turkey is emerging as a stable island and safe harbour in the investment plans of international companies, with his economic team working to position the country as a regional headquarters hub for multinationals.
📺 Yılmaz Özdil Resigns From Sözcü TV Just Four Months After Taking the Helm for Second Time
Yılmaz Özdil has resigned from his role heading Sözcü TV, submitting his resignation to channel owner Burak Akbay following a series of public disputes with politicians. The most recent confrontation was with CHP parliamentary group deputy chairman Gökhan Günaydın, who criticised Özdil’s commentary as lightweight and likened the channel’s new editorial direction to AHaber, a broadcaster associated with the government. Özdil had posted what many interpreted as a farewell message on social media on Sunday, writing that he had done his best to defend independent journalism even at the cost of being attacked by the very people he had fought for. This was Özdil’s second stint at the channel’s helm — he had briefly led Sözcü TV when it launched three years ago before resigning on that occasion too, and returned in December, a move that was accompanied by the dismissal of 14 staff members.
🏛️ Ankara Corridors Buzz With Talk of Four to Five Ministers Out, Second Vice President and Security Shake-Up
Ankara political circles are alive with reports that President Erdoğan is preparing a sweeping restructuring of government spanning the cabinet, the security bureaucracy, state bank management, and AKP party organisation — all framed as election preparation. According to sources, four or five ministers are expected to be replaced or reshuffled, with the changes based on performance, field effectiveness, and contribution to the coming electoral campaign; two MPs, a provincial governor, and a mayor are said to be among those being considered for ministerial posts, bringing both local government and parliamentary experience into the executive. The number of vice presidents is reportedly set to increase from one to two, with separate portfolios envisaged for economic and domestic policy. A sweeping Interior Ministry decree covering governors and provincial police chiefs is said to be in preparation, targeting personnel changes in major cities and strategically sensitive provinces. On the economic front, general manager changes at two of the three state banks are expected to be announced at their general assemblies on 9 April. Senior bureaucrats across multiple ministries — deputy undersecretaries, general directors, and department heads — are also said to be in line for replacement, with the aim of aligning the civil service with the incoming cabinet configuration. AKP provincial and district organisations, particularly those with poor electoral records, are likewise facing restructuring. The overall reading in Ankara is that the government has pressed the button on a comprehensive election-ready cadre overhaul spanning every tier of the state.
Ruling Government (AKP, MHP and DEM coalition aka People’s Alliance)
🐺 MHP Dissolves Entire Istanbul Organisation in Purge Linked to Post-Bahçeli Leadership Manoeuvring
MHP has dissolved its Istanbul provincial organisation and all 39 district branches in a sweeping purge directed from party headquarters, with deputy leader Semih Yalçın invoking Articles 52 and 54 of the party statute to announce the dissolution and appoint Volkan Yılmaz as the new Istanbul provincial chair. The move follows the resignation of İzzet Ulvi Yönter and is being interpreted in party circles as a direct response to claims that Yönter had been positioning himself for the leadership succession after Bahçeli — a calculation that is said to have angered Bahçeli himself. Much of the Istanbul organisation is said to have aligned with Yönter, making the mass dissolution a party discipline measure aimed at clearing out his network. The new Istanbul leadership is described as temporary, with its purpose being to steer the organisation through to a congress at which loyalist cadres will be installed. The purge is not expected to stop with Istanbul: sources say seven other provincial organisations believed to have supported Yönter are under scrutiny, with Kütahya said to be next in line. The departing Istanbul chair, Sertel Sevim, posted a photograph of himself with Bahçeli and the message: “The sacred duty placed on our shoulders ends today. We are at our leader’s command.”
🐺 AKP’s Şamil Tayyar: Bahçeli Is Updating MHP — And There Will Be More Dismissals
AKP journalist and former MP Şamil Tayyar has signalled that the wave of dismissals inside MHP is unlikely to stop with Istanbul, writing that Devlet Bahçeli is bringing under control any out-of-the-ordinary movements that could lead his authority to be questioned. Tayyar described MHP as more than just a political party — a game-maker and decisive force that operates on the principles of leader, organisation, and doctrine, and tolerates no weakness in its chain of command. He said the mass dismissal of the Istanbul provincial and 39 district organisations for supporting Yönter’s controversial post should be understood in this light, and predicted that further removals will follow. Tayyar concluded that the move will consolidate Bahçeli’s leadership grip, strengthen his word regarding the future, and increase MHP’s resilience under difficult conditions.
Opposition Parties (CHP and others)
🚔 Twenty Detained in Üsküdar Municipality Raid Over Colour-Coded Bribery System for Building Permits
Istanbul Anadolu public prosecutor’s office has detained 20 people in dawn raids across 30 addresses in Istanbul and Yalova following an investigation into a sophisticated bribery scheme at CHP-run Üsküdar Municipality, in which building and occupancy permits were allegedly granted or withheld based on whether contractors had paid bribes rather than on compliance with planning regulations. At the centre of the alleged scheme was Kent AŞ, a municipal subsidiary whose general manager N.A. was given an office inside the municipal building between the planning and building control departments, introduced at official events as a deputy mayor, and allegedly ran meetings at which officials decided how much to demand from each contractor for occupancy permits based on the severity of regulatory violations and the per-square-metre value of the construction site. The prosecution’s most striking detail is the alleged use of a colour-coded encrypted spreadsheet system shared between Kent AŞ and the planning department: blue meant a deal had been struck and the application should proceed; red meant no deal, do not proceed; green meant no approach had yet been made; and orange meant talks were under way but not yet formalised, awaiting further instruction. Those detained include the deputy mayor Filiz Deveci, Kent AŞ general manager Nazım Akkoyunlu, two Kent AŞ architects, a building control site supervisor, five business agents, and eight contractors.
🏛️ CHP Council Member Hatice Terekeci Özkan Elected Acting Mayor of Uşak After Third-Round Vote
Uşak Municipal Council has elected CHP council member Hatice Terekeci Özkan as acting mayor to replace the suspended and detained Özkan Yalım, following an extraordinary session at which the first two rounds of voting failed to produce the required majority. In the third round, Özkan received 18 votes against 9 for the AKP candidate Şemseddin Karabulut, with 2 blank ballots; MHP and İYİ Party did not field candidates. Özkan said she would conduct the acting mayoralty with collective wisdom, common sense, and transparency, adding that what matters above all is the people of Uşak. Yalım had been detained and suspended from office following an Istanbul prosecutor’s investigation into bribery, extortion, and bid-rigging at the municipality.
🏛️ Deputy Governor Appointed to Run Bursa Municipality Until Acting Mayor Is Elected
Bursa Governor Erol Ayyıldız has appointed Deputy Governor Hulusi Doğan to carry out the duties of Bursa Metropolitan Mayor on a temporary basis following the suspension of Mustafa Bozbey, with the appointment to remain in effect until the municipal council elects an acting mayor at its scheduled extraordinary session on Thursday 9 April. Bozbey was detained in a 31 March operation and remanded in custody by a court on 4 April, after which the Interior Ministry formally suspended him from office under the Municipal Law.
⚖️ Jailed Bolu Mayor Özcan: Financial Intelligence Reports Found No Suspicious Transactions in Any Account
Detained and suspended Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan has posted from Sincan F-Type Prison, where he has been held for 40 days, saying that neither his own accounts, nor those of his family members, nor the foundation, nor the municipality have yielded any suspicious or unexplained financial movements — including in Financial Crimes Investigation Board reports. Özcan said hundreds of people had been wiretapped and interviewed without investigators finding a single irregularity, and that when it came to identifying who had actually received benefits, it turned out to be scholarship students, disabled people who received wheelchairs, and citizens who had been given material or financial assistance. “Is this really worth so little?” he asked.
🏛️ AKP Takes Both Deputy Speakerships in Beykoz Municipal Council Elections
Beykoz Municipal Council has elected two AKP members to its deputy speakership positions, with Serkan Şahin winning the first deputy speakership with 16 votes against CHP’s candidate who received 13, and Gaye Zayıf winning the second with 16 votes against CHP’s candidate on 14. The Cumhur Alliance also secured the three elected committee membership seats in the secret ballot encümen elections, with AKP’s Fatih Çelik and Necla Yılmaz and MHP’s Kadir Çakıroğlu all elected. The session was chaired by acting mayor Özlem Vural Gürzel.
⚖️ Council Seat of IBB Trial ‘Confessor’ Ertan Yıldız Stripped After He Failed to Attend Meetings
Bakırköy Municipal Council has unanimously stripped independent member Ertan Yıldız of his seat after he failed to attend three consecutive council meetings without excuse or authorisation and did not respond to a formal notification giving him an opportunity to submit a defence. The motion was carried with the votes of both CHP and AKP members. Yıldız, who had served as an adviser to Ekrem İmamoğlu, was detained in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality investigation, became an active remorse witness — giving testimony against other defendants in exchange for reduced charges — and was subsequently released. His absence from council meetings since his release had triggered the removal procedure.
⚖️ Beyoğlu Mayor Güney’s Case Merged Into Istanbul Municipality Trial
Istanbul 40th Heavy Criminal Court has merged the indictment against Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality corruption case, meaning Güney — who has been in pre-trial detention for seven months — will now take his place among the defendants in the Silivri courtroom. Güney’s indictment had sought up to 35 years in prison on charges of aiding İmamoğlu’s alleged criminal organisation, with cross-references to actions described in the main IBB investigation file. The merger had been requested in the indictment itself.
🚔 Chair of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s Advertising Subsidiary Detained on Sexual Harassment Allegation
The chairman of MUBRAŞ, the advertising company subsidiary of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, has been detained on suspicion of aggravated sexual harassment after a university student who contacted him via social media seeking a job application was sent inappropriate messages. The student, D.Ç., who studies at Muğla Sıt.kı Koçman University, filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office, leading to the suspect’s arrest in the Menteşe district. Police also launched searches at the suspect’s residences in Menteşe, Bodrum, and İzmir. The municipality said in a brief statement that the legal process is ongoing and that further information will be provided once the judicial proceedings are clarified.
🏘️ Turkey’s First Municipal Rental Social Housing Project Breaks Ground in Çeşme as CHP Pledges 30,000 Annual Rentals in Government
Çeşme Municipality has laid the foundation stone for what is described as Turkey’s first rental social housing project, with the first phase targeting 120 units across a roughly 100,000 square metre site in the Şifne neighbourhood, developed by the municipality’s volunteer-based Çeşme Vision Office with input from urban planners, architects, and community members. The project, named Hanem Çeşme, is built on the principle that housing is a basic human right rather than an investment vehicle, with rents capped at 25 per cent of household income. CHP leader Özgür Özel attended the groundbreaking and used the occasion to outline his party’s national housing policy, saying a future CHP government would set TOKİ a target of 120,000 social housing units per year — up from 45,000 currently — with 90,000 allocated to low and middle income groups on favourable terms and 30,000 offered as rental social housing. Çeşme Mayor Lâl Denizli noted that rents have risen 1,457 per cent over the past decade, making housing unaffordable for workers, retirees, civil servants, and young people, and said the project is intended as a replicable model for municipalities across Turkey rather than a one-off local initiative.
🗳️ Özel Chairs Presidential Campaign Office Meeting, Announces Development and Foreign Policy Conferences
CHP leader Özgür Özel has chaired a three-hour meeting of the executive board of the Presidential Candidate Office (CAO), the party’s campaign structure for the presidential race. The meeting covered Turkey’s economic, social, and political challenges as well as foreign policy developments, and heard a presentation from Murat Bakan on public administration reform work being carried out jointly by the domestic policy, environment and urban planning, and justice policy councils. Two major conferences were scheduled: a Development Conference in May, and a Foreign Policy and Global Security Conference in June ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara. The meeting also reviewed the series of policy council press briefings launched on 31 March under the Treasury and Finance Policy chair, and decided that other policy councils will continue the same format.
🏛️ İmamoğlu Condemns Transfer of Yerebatan Cistern to Vakıflar as ‘Swooping on Property They’ve Had Their Eye On’
The title deed of the Yerebatan Cistern — one of Istanbul’s most visited historic sites, meticulously restored by IBB Miras — has been registered in the name of the General Directorate of Foundations, prompting a sharp response from detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who said from prison that the decision follows the same pattern seen with Galata Tower, Gezi Park, Beykoz Social Facilities, Beşiktaş Ferry Terminal, and Şerefiye Cistern. İmamoğlu said the authorities change laws mid-litigation when needed, change judges when needed, and ultimately seize whatever property they have set their sights on regardless of legal or ethical considerations, calling the Yerebatan transfer the latest example of the government’s arrogance in saying “I did it and that’s that.” He noted that the five-year legal battle over Galata Tower ultimately failed because the rules were changed while the match was still in play, and that a law was passed through parliament to use the foundations directorate’s own restoration work as justification for seizure. İmamoğlu closed by saying the decisions are not final — the final decision, he said, belongs to the people.
Thanks for reading this far, I will see you tomorrow. ☕