⚖️ Justice System and Everyday Life in Türkiye
Sixty-Year Land Dispute Involving 456 Claimants Finally Resolved in Turkish Court
A cadastral case that began on 5 January 1966 has at last been concluded in Mardin’s Nusaybin district, bringing to a close a property ownership dispute that spanned six decades and involved 456 rightful claimants. The Mardin Cadastre Court delivered its verdict on 9 June at the 70th hearing, attended by the parties and their lawyers. Having reviewed expert and share-allocation reports submitted to the file, the court ruled that a fresh site inspection would add nothing to proceedings, given that one had already been carried out, and withdrew its earlier interim decision ordering one. The judgment annulled the existing cadastral determinations for fifteen parcels in the Duruca neighbourhood — numbers 1 through 10, along with 171 and 173 to 176 — ordering that they be registered in the land registry in the names of the rightful owners according to their allocated shares. The court further ruled that the cadastral determinations for parcels 197 and 198 be annulled and those properties registered in the name of the Treasury. Following service of the reasoned judgment, the parties retain the right to appeal to the 5th Civil Chamber of the Diyarbakır Regional Court of Appeal within the prescribed period.
Search Launched at Sites Identified by Suspect in Gülistan Doku Investigation
A search operation has begun in areas pinpointed by Umut Altaş, the suspect arrested in the United States under an Interpol red notice issued as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Gülistan Doku. Gendarmerie special operations (JÖAK) and search and rescue (JAK) teams are combing the Dinar Stream, the surroundings of Munzur University and the area around the Sarısaltuk Viaduct in central Tunceli. Efforts to locate the body of Doku, a Munzur University student, are continuing at various points across the province, coordinated by the Interior and Justice Ministries, with teams deploying underground imaging equipment that uses infrared signals to produce three-dimensional images of the subsurface, alongside cadaver dogs brought in from the Erzurum Provincial Gendarmerie Command. In an interview, Altaş had stated that while he did not know the body’s exact location, it could be in deserted spots near the university or around the Aktuluk neighbourhood, urging searchers to check blind spots there as well as a rubbish dump beside the water treatment facilities at Bayraktepe. Teams are working from narrowed mobile phone base station data and points deemed suspicious. As part of the investigation into Doku’s killing, twelve people have been remanded in custody, including the former Tunceli governor Tuncay Sonel, his son Mustafa Türkay Sonel, a protection officer, the former chief physician of Tunceli State Hospital and several others.
Eight Remanded in Custody in Drug Investigation Involving Turkish Celebrities
Eight of the 23 people detained in a drug investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office have been remanded in custody, following the completion of legal proceedings against the suspects, who include well-known figures from the worlds of entertainment, business and high society. Ten suspects — among them Tolga Çam, Murat Saygı, Enis Ahmet Onat, Emre Tari, Hasan Vatan, Reyhan Küçükyeğen, Mehmet Yıldız, Tessy Ramos Correira, Rafet Eren Yorulmazer and Ahmet Karoğlu — were referred to the criminal court of peace with a request for their arrest. Prosecutors sought house arrest as a judicial control measure for Oğuzhan Beker, the son of a CHP MP for Ankara, and for Ali Efe Bezci. Judicial control measures were also requested for the remaining suspects, who include prominent names from Turkish music and television such as singers Kenan Doğulu, Ayşe Hatun Önal, Berdan Mardini and Yaşar İpek, actors Beren Saat and Enis Arıkan, producer Ozan Doğulu, and social media personalities Kerimcan Durmaz and Selin Ciğerci, alongside Ferhan Kaya, Mehmet Cem Karcı and director Yaşar İpek’s fellow suspects. The case was reported on 12 June 2026.
🏛️ Politics
Crime Gangs Threaten Businesspeople Close to Ruling Party as Ankara Prepares for NATO Summit
With less than a month to go before the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July, the Turkish capital is grappling with a surge in organised crime activity, as gangs known as the “Çirkinler” (the Uglies) and the “Daltonlar” (the Daltons) carry out threats and shootings across the city. According to a report by Tolga Şardan for T24, the Çirkinler group sent text messages reading “your time is running out” to all employees of a major firm, before dispatching a black wreath to the premises and spraying the building with gunfire, while a message attributed to the Daltonlar threatened the wife and son of a prominent serving politician, demanding a “street share” protection payment. Most of the businesspeople targeted are reported to be close to the ruling AK Party, and the matter has been relayed to the party’s headquarters. The wave of intimidation, which includes armed attacks on businesses in the Çayyolu and Yaşamkent districts and threats against a leading construction firm now under temporary police protection, comes amid a sweeping overhaul of the capital’s security leadership: the Interior Ministry has replaced both the governor of Ankara and the city’s police chief — neither of whom has previously served in the capital — while the chief public prosecutor has been elevated to the Court of Cassation, with his successor yet to be named. Further appointments affecting district governors, deputy governors and police promotions are expected within the next fortnight, meaning Ankara will enter the summit, which US President Donald Trump and other world leaders are due to attend, with an entirely new administrative and judicial leadership. Police sources note the Daltonlar have recently begun sending threats via foreign telephone lines, and investigators caution that the gang’s name may also be being used by others, with prosecutions under way against both groups.
Ankara’s New Protocol Hub Ready for NATO Summit as Etimesgut Airport Prepares to Open
Etimesgut Airport, freshly renovated and earmarked for Ankara’s diplomatic and protocol traffic, will open on 15 June, with President and AK Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expected to attend the ceremony. According to a report in Türkiye Gazetesi, the upgraded facility will host flights carrying heads of state and high-level delegations during major events in the capital, foremost among them the NATO Summit on 7-8 July. The airport, notable for its proximity to the Presidential Complex, has had its runway extended to 3,000 metres and widened to 60 metres, while infrastructure work has been completed on a new 160,000-square-metre apron capable of accommodating 50 aircraft simultaneously. Buildings totalling 2,400 square metres have been constructed to meet protocol requirements, and officials say the airport could also serve as a reserve airfield for Ankara when needed. The facility will retain its military status and is set to be operated under a special model dedicated to state and diplomatic flights.
Turkish Trade Ministry Suspends Adverts of Six Visa Appointment Firms Over Misleading Claims
The Advertising Board, which operates under Turkey’s Trade Ministry, has imposed precautionary suspension orders of up to three months on six intermediary firms offering visa appointment services, citing adverts deemed deceptive and misleading to consumers. In a statement, the ministry said it had acted on allegations that some companies providing the service had published misleading content online about the appointment booking process, prompting the board to launch an investigation into the six firms at the centre of the claims on its own initiative. The board reviewed files concerning adverts that made promises to consumers such as guaranteed visa appointments, guaranteed visas, fast applications, uninterrupted support, guaranteed solutions, one hundred per cent approval guarantees and fast results, and ruled that the adverts in question be suspended for up to three months as a precautionary measure. The ministry stressed that a final decision on the files will be issued once the investigation is complete, adding that it continues its inspection and enforcement work against commercial adverts designed to deceive consumers and against unfair trading practices. The announcement was reported on 12 June 2026.
Trustees Appointed to 13 Poultry Firms in Nationwide Crackdown on Turkish White Meat Sector
Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has announced simultaneous operations across eight provinces targeting companies in the white meat sector judged to have disrupted market functioning, driven unfair price rises and harmed consumers, with supervisory trustees appointed to 13 firms. Thirty-two suspects, assessed to have violated free competition and steered prices against the interests of consumers, were taken into custody as part of the operation. Gürlek said the trustees had been appointed to ensure the basic food supply chain is not disrupted and that commercial activities continue lawfully, declaring that no irregularity that damages citizens’ economic rights, attempts to undermine market order or seeks unfair gain would be tolerated. He added that ensuring citizens’ access to staple foods under fair, safe and reasonable conditions, along with the protection of consumer rights, ranks among the government’s foremost priorities, with the Justice, Interior and Trade Ministries working in coordination with the Treasury and Finance Ministry. Those detained include senior executives, board chairmen, finance directors and accounting managers from some of the country’s best-known poultry producers, among them Banvit, Akpiliç, Bakpiliç, Aspiliç, Bupiliç, Erpiliç, Gedik, Hastavuk, Keskinoğlu, Şenpiliç, Orvital, Aypi and Lezita. The operation was announced on 12 June 2026.
Turkey Suspends Visa-Free Entry for Saint Kitts and Nevis Nationals
Turkey has suspended the visa-free entry arrangement previously granted to citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis, marking a new chapter in the country’s entry requirements. Under the new regulation, nationals of the Caribbean federation holding ordinary passports will now be required to obtain a visa in advance before travelling to Turkey. The change brings to an end the visa exemption afforded to Saint Kitts and Nevis citizens, with the decision applying specifically to holders of ordinary passports.
Turkey Adds 32 More Medicines to Social Security Reimbursement List
Turkey’s Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan has announced that a further 32 medicines have been added to the reimbursement list through the Social Security Institution (SGK), 21 of which are domestically produced. In a statement posted on social media, Işıkhan said the move would strengthen the country’s domestic and national capacity in healthcare while making it easier for citizens to access treatment. He expressed his hope that the medicines would bring healing to patients and wished citizens a long and healthy life.
🤝Ruling Government (AKP, MHP and DEM coalition aka People’s Alliance)
Bahçeli Says CHP Crisis Is a Problem for All, Warning Party Is Splitting Step by Step
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has said the crisis engulfing the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) following the “absolute nullity” ruling against it is a problem for the whole country, criticising both party chairman Özgür Özel and former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for failing to act responsibly. Speaking to the Türkgün newspaper, Bahçeli said neither man had presented an image befitting the CHP’s historic responsibility, accusing them of polarising their own base through their conduct and rhetoric at a time that called for unity rather than division. He charged Özel with continually deepening the crisis without awaiting the Court of Cassation’s final ruling, thereby undermining both the legal process and the party’s founding values, and dismissed the exchanges within the CHP as poker-style brinkmanship amounting to little more than perception management and propaganda that belittles court rulings. Arguing that both men should engage in sincere self-criticism, he observed that rather than seeking consensus, a split was unfolding step by step, with new party names constantly being floated. Turning to the government’s “terror-free Turkey” initiative, Bahçeli insisted the policy’s resolve would not bend to any external influence, describing terrorism as a tool of imperialism and a seed of discord sown between Turks and Kurds, and declaring that those who oppose their unity aspire to serve occupiers. He said the goal was to build the foundations of the “Turkish Century” through law, morality and democratic politics, championing reconciliation over conflict, and concluded that neither Kurds nor Turks, nor Alevis and Sunnis, are or should ever be enemies, repeating his refrain that together they are all Turkey and all one nation.
🗳️ Opposition Parties (CHP and others)
Two CHP Parliamentary Whips Stripped of Posts as Court-Appointed Leadership Tightens Grip
A new phase has begun in the leadership of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) following the “absolute nullity” ruling that annulled the congress at which the party changed leaders. According to a report by BirGün, the administration installed by court order has moved to reshape the party’s group in the Grand National Assembly, stripping group deputy chairmen Gökhan Günaydın and Ali Mahir Başarır — both of whom had been referred to the disciplinary board — of their posts. Parliament’s official website was updated following the decision, with Özgür Özel now listed as group chairman and Murat Emir as group deputy chairman, signalling the start of a restructuring of the CHP’s parliamentary leadership. Reacting to the move, Günaydın called it an unlawful decision taken by a central executive committee that does not exist, saying it was regrettable that parliament had complied and that they would maintain their stance. The central executive committee formed by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was appointed CHP leader after the nullity ruling, had requested the expulsion of nine figures: Ensar Aytekin, Ali Mahir Başarır, Gökhan Günaydın, Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu, Özgür Karabat, Umut Akdoğan, Veli Ağbaba, Turan Taşkın Özer and Burhanettin Bulut.
Former Adviser to CHP’s Özgür Özel Remanded in Custody in Manisa Investigation
Cem Yüzer, a former adviser to Özgür Özel and general manager of a company affiliated with Şehzadeler Municipality, has been remanded in custody along with a second suspect, identified as Anıl D., as part of an investigation conducted by the Manisa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Yüzer, who heads Şehzadeler Emlak Yatırım İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., a real estate and construction firm owned by the municipality, had been taken into custody together with Anıl D. Following the completion of police procedures, both men were referred to the courthouse, where the criminal judgeship ordered their arrest.
Detention Orders Issued for Silivri Mayor and 17 Others as CHP Turmoil Deepens
Detention orders have been issued for 18 people, including Silivri Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu, as part of a corruption investigation, with financial crimes police continuing searches at the municipality building. The development comes amid escalating turbulence within the Republican People’s Party (CHP), after chairman Özgür Özel announced that 28 members of the Party Assembly had resigned. The spokesman for the rival administration of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Müslim Sarı, argued the resignations should be viewed as part of a legal process rather than an internal political crisis, saying they were not addressed to the CHP and produced no automatic consequence. CHP Ordu MP Seyit Torun told bianet that while he had seen individuals defy the judiciary before, this was the first time an opposition structure had disregarded it to such a degree, and he criticised remarks directed at journalists following Sarı’s statements, urging those responsible to look at themselves first. Torun also took issue with the “purification” rhetoric circulating in the party leadership, stressing the presumption of innocence for those held in prison, noting that people had been detained for 15 months with their families suffering grave hardship despite the state’s failure to prove the allegations. Under the third paragraph of Article 24 of the CHP statute, if Party Assembly membership falls below two-thirds of its full complement once all substitute members have been called up — below 40 members — the chairman is obliged to convene a congress within 45 days, and the statute contains no provision requiring resignations to be formally accepted. The developments are expected to prove decisive for an extraordinary congress and the party’s internal balance in the days ahead.