Justice System and Everyday Life in Türkiye
🚧 Roadworks Alert: Lane Closures and Diversions Across Türkiye
The General Directorate of Highways has warned motorists to expect disruption on a number of major routes owing to ongoing construction, maintenance and repair works. Among the affected stretches, the Adapazarı toll plaza on the TEM Motorway is being converted to a free-flow system, with entry and exit rerouted via service roads, while one carriageway of the İzmir–Aydın Motorway has been shut at the Yalki Dere bridge for joint repairs, with traffic running in both directions on the opposite side. Controlled single-lane running is in place on the Mersin–Çeşmeli motorway, inside the Yeni Zigana Tunnel on the Trabzon–Gümüşhane road, and on sections of the Elazığ–Diyarbakır and Ankara–Samsun routes. Further restrictions apply near Zonguldak, on the Kumluca–Antalya coastal road due to a landslide, at Kayseri–Pınarbaşı, and at the Pamukçu junction on the Balıkesir–Akhisar road. Drivers are urged to observe all signage and traffic marshals in the affected areas.
🔫 Gang Ordered Hit on Simit Seller for Being a “Snitch,” Prosecutors Say
Prosecutors in the north-western city of Yalova have filed an indictment laying bare the organised-crime network behind the fatal shooting of simit seller Ramazan Elkıtay, who was gunned down outside his home fifteen months ago. According to the charge sheet, the killing was ordered by fugitive members of the Barış Boyun gang operating from Greece, who recruited two under-18 hitmen with the promise of one million lira in cash and safe passage out of the country. The teenage suspects reportedly obtained their weapons in Istanbul, travelled to Yalova, carried out hours of surveillance around Elkıtay’s home and stall, and shot him five times under cover of darkness. Witness testimony presented to the court suggests the motive was the victim’s alleged decision to inform on the gang after previously working for it — with one witness stating they “broke his pen” for being a snitch. Elkıtay’s wife told investigators her husband had spent his final weeks in a state of visible fear. The two suspects face charges of premeditated murder and membership of a criminal organisation; prosecutors have requested aggravated life sentences, though these may be reduced to 18–24 years on account of their age. Proceedings against the fugitive gang leaders remain ongoing.
🕊️ Renowned Historian İlber Ortaylı Laid to Rest in Istanbul Today
Türkiye bids farewell today to Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, one of the country’s most celebrated historians, known for his prolific academic output and his rare ability to bring history to life for a mass audience. A memorial ceremony is being held at Galatasaray University, where Ortaylı spent many years teaching and mentoring students, before his coffin is taken to Fatih Mosque for funeral prayers following the afternoon namaz. He will be interred in the Fatih Mosque cemetery — a historic burial ground that is also the resting place of his own mentor, the eminent Ottoman historian Prof. Dr. Halil İnalcık. The family has noted that ongoing restoration work at the cemetery means only a limited number of mourners can attend the burial itself. Istanbul police have announced road closures around the Fatih district from 9 a.m. to accommodate the ceremony, and residents have been advised to seek alternative routes.
Politics
📞 Turkish and Saudi Foreign Ministers Discuss Efforts to Halt Conflict
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by telephone with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, with the conversation focusing on ongoing efforts to bring an end to the war. No further details of the call were disclosed by the Foreign Ministry.
🔍 Businesswoman Who Accused AKP Politician of Demanding Bribe Detained in Money-Laundering Probe
Mine Biçer, chair of Marka Holding, has been taken into custody as part of an Istanbul chief prosecutor’s investigation into allegations of founding a criminal organisation, membership of such an organisation, and money laundering. Biçer had previously made headlines after fugitive organised-crime figure Sedat Peker alleged — through his widely followed social media posts — that AKP parliamentarian Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu had demanded 12 million lira from Biçer under the guise of consultancy fees. Biçer initially confirmed the claim and said she had filed a complaint through the presidential communication centre CİMER, but subsequently reversed her account, stating that no bribe had been requested or offered. No further details about the current investigation have been made public.
⚖️ Halkbank Case Put on Ice — but Key Figure Atilla Breaks Silence: “I Won’t Forgive Those Who Threw Me Into the Fire”
Hakan Atilla, the former Halkbank deputy general manager who served 28 months in a US prison over Iran sanctions-busting charges, has spoken out against the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement struck between the bank and American prosecutors. In an interview with T24, Atilla expressed bitter frustration that the deal — which suspends the criminal case for 90 days while the state lender demonstrates compliance with US sanctions and anti-money-laundering laws — does nothing to clear the names of Turkish officials indicted alongside him, including former economy minister Zafer Çağlayan and other senior figures. Atilla said he had never forgiven those in Ankara who, he claimed, knew he was innocent yet left him exposed, and alleged that Halkbank staff were prevented from contributing to his legal defence by figures within the government. He also took aim at Türkiye’s willingness to drop charges against key prosecution witness Reza Zarrab and return his assets, while making no effort to seek the removal of indictments against its own public servants. Under the agreement disclosed on the Public Disclosure Platform, Halkbank has admitted no criminal wrongdoing and will pay no fine, but must pass an independent compliance review. The US case dates back to 2019 and centres on allegations the bank covertly channelled some $20 billion in restricted funds to Iran’s benefit through sham gold and food trades.
Opposition Parties (CHP and others)
📅 CHP Gears Up for Anniversary of İmamoğlu’s Arrest with Rallies and Fresh Claims on Justice Minister’s Wealth
The main opposition CHP is planning a week of rallies, press conferences and public events to mark the first anniversary of the detention of its presidential candidate, Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on 19 March last year. Party leader Özgür Özel is expected to hold a press conference tomorrow at which he will present documents relating to the personal assets of Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, after previously issuing a public challenge for Gürlek to disclose his wealth by 11 March. Özel will first meet the party’s central executive board today to finalise plans for the week ahead. On the evening of 18 March — the date on which İmamoğlu’s university diploma was annulled last year — Özel will appear at a major rally in Saraçhane, Istanbul. Senior party figures say the choice of date is deliberate, arguing that the diploma cancellation and the arrest that followed a day later were never about tackling corruption but about using the judiciary to eliminate President Erdoğan’s chief political rival. The CHP says all groups that have taken part in previous Istanbul demonstrations will be given a platform at the rally. Özel is also expected to join the families of those detained in the crackdown for an iftar on the evening of 19 March itself.
⚖️ İBB Trial Enters Second Week After Fractious Opening Marred by Press Row and Courtroom Standoffs
The mass corruption trial of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and 401 co-defendants resumes today at Silivri prison after its first week was dominated more by procedural clashes than by substantive testimony. Thursday’s session was adjourned and pushed to Monday after journalists refused to comply with a judge’s order to move their seats to the back of the courtroom — a decision the bench said was prompted by reporters approaching İmamoğlu during a recess. The presiding judge cited a breach of courtroom order; journalists countered that the new positions offered neither desks nor a clear view. As the hearing was postponed, chants of “Rights, law, justice” rang out and spectators applauded the press in solidarity. It remains unclear whether today’s session will proceed under the same seating restrictions.
The first week saw daily confrontations. On day one, İmamoğlu was refused permission to speak, prompting a tense exchange in which the judge’s use of the informal “sen” drew audience protests, and the public gallery was briefly ordered cleared — a move quietly reversed after CHP leader Özgür Özel declined to leave. Day two brought an argument over gendarmerie officers positioned around İmamoğlu’s seat, a half-hour reading of the roughly 4,000-page indictment summary, and İmamoğlu’s plea for his co-defendants to be freed pending trial. On day three, detained businessman Bulut Aydöner told the court his name may have been confused with someone else’s, while İmamoğlu used a recess to praise independent media and criticise outlets he said had failed to report the proceedings. Day four saw an emotional moment when the wife of jailed city planning chief Ramazan Gülten called out that their daughter Maya — born while he was in custody — had spoken the word “baba” (father) for the first time. The session also heard from Ağaç AŞ procurement manager Ümit Polat, whose two earlier remorse statements had been deemed insufficient; Polat told the court he had never personally witnessed any payment changing hands. Today’s hearing is expected to continue with defence statements from Polat’s lawyers and further Ağaç AŞ–related defendants, with the trial scheduled to sit until 19 March.
⛽ Diesel Sliding Cushion All but Spent — CHP MP Warns of Unchecked Price Rises Ahead
CHP Zonguldak MP Deniz Yavuzyılmaz has warned that the automatic fuel-tax buffer known as the “eşel mobil” system is on the verge of exhaustion, meaning any further increase in diesel costs will feed straight through to pump prices. According to his calculations, as of 15 March a litre of diesel stood at 65.89 lira, of which only 0.48 lira — less than one per cent — remained as special consumption tax (ÖTV) available to absorb future rises. Once that sliver is gone, the mechanism that has been shielding consumers by trimming ÖTV in response to rising refinery costs will cease to function entirely. Yavuzyılmaz, who tabled a bill in parliament on 6 March, is calling for VAT on fuel to be halved from 20 to 10 per cent and for VAT levied on top of ÖTV to be scrapped altogether — moves he says would create a roughly 13 per cent pricing cushion. He cautioned that diesel price rises ripple across the entire economy, hitting haulage, agriculture, public transport and food costs, and accused the governing AKP of failing to act. The eşel mobil system was activated after oil prices climbed in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, but the government applied only 75 per cent of the available offset, allowing a quarter of each increase to be passed on to consumers.
🗳️ Jailed İmamoğlu Fires Back at Erdoğan: “If You’re So Sure of Yourself, Let’s Go to the Ballot Box”
Imprisoned Istanbul mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu has responded to President Erdoğan’s criticism of the post-2019 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, issuing a direct challenge for snap elections. In a statement shared via his “Presidential Candidacy Office” social media account, İmamoğlu said he had read Erdoğan’s remarks with a wry smile, calling them insincere and absurd. He reminded Erdoğan that it was he who forced out his own party’s former mayor Kadir Topbaş, annulled the 2019 Istanbul election on what İmamoğlu called fabricated grounds, and had his rival arrested in what the CHP describes as the “19 March political coup.” İmamoğlu challenged Erdoğan to face voters — first in Istanbul, then nationally — asking who truly stands for Atatürk’s legacy, the republic, democracy, justice and the future of 86 million citizens. “Let the people decide. Are you game?” he said.
🔥 İYİ Party Leader Hits Out at So-Called Peace Process Contradictions on Şırnak Visit: “The State Knows Arms Haven’t Been Laid Down”
İYİ Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu has delivered a blistering critique of the government’s so-called peace process during a Ramadan tour of the south-east, accusing Ankara of papering over fundamental contradictions. Speaking to reporters after tribal visits in Şırnak — including to the Babat clan, which lost several members in counter-terrorism operations — Dervişoğlu pointed to what he called an obvious inconsistency: the state simultaneously claims the PKK has disarmed while its own official reports say compliance will need to be monitored. He argued this amounted to an acknowledgement that weapons have not, in fact, been surrendered, and warned that tens of thousands of lorry-loads of US-supplied arms given to PKK-linked groups in Syria would never be handed over to the Turkish state. Dervişoğlu also took aim at MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, accusing him of acting as a mere mouthpiece for imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan’s demands — from the formation of a parliamentary commission to prison visits and calls for legal changes — and said any legislation designed to enable Öcalan’s release should be put to a public referendum. Turning to the region’s economic woes, he described Şırnak as mired in unemployment, with farmland lying fallow and even temporary public-sector posts allegedly being sold through political patronage. He pledged to send İYİ Party officials to the south-east on a regular basis, vowing he would not be an opposition leader who merely criticises from the comfort of Ankara.