Justice System and Everyday Life in Türkiye
💔 ‘Please, I Beg You, Hear Our Voices’: The Courtroom Pleas of a Mother and Daughter Now Dead
Newly reported details from the court proceedings in the child abuse case involving Kuran’a Hizmet Vakfı official Ayhan Şengüler have revealed the desperate words spoken by Fatmanur Çelik and her daughter before both were found dead on an Istanbul shoreline on 2 March. According to accounts from the hearings at Istanbul Anadolu 2nd Heavy Criminal Court, the seven-year-old girl told the court that her father had removed her clothing and touched her private parts, and that he had threatened her into silence by saying her mother would die if she told anyone — adding that she had eventually told her mother because the nightmares would not leave her alone. Çelik herself addressed the court in terms that have since taken on a devastating significance, saying her daughter was living as though in a vegetative state, that she could no longer look her child in the face, and pleading: “Please, I beg you, hear our voices. What more do I need to do for you to believe my child?” She also told the court she had been warned by people connected to the foundation that if she pursued her complaint “what happens will happen to you and your child”, and that she had been told the legal system would be used against her regardless of her innocence — a prediction she said had proved entirely accurate. Despite a prosecutor having noted strong evidence for arrest in February 2023, the accused was released and the case initially closed before being reopened eighteen months later following appeals.
Politics
✈️ Drone Strike Knocks Out Nakhchivan Airport — Flights Diverted to Turkish City of Iğdır
A drone attack on Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan’s exclave has put the facility out of action, forcing Azerbaijani authorities to cancel all flights to the territory and reroute Baku–Nakhchivan services to Iğdır in eastern Turkey. The first diverted passenger aircraft, carrying 71 travellers, landed at Iğdır Şehit Bülent Aydın Airport at around 20:30 and was met by a local delegation. Bus services between Iğdır and Nakhchivan have been organised to transport passengers across the border, allowing onward travel to continue despite the airport closure. No further details about the origin or nature of the attack were included in the report.
🚧 Turkey’s Defence Ministry Dismisses Claims of Mass Migration From Iran as Manipulative
Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence has flatly denied social media reports and news stories claiming that a large wave of migrants has begun moving towards the Turkish border in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, describing the content circulating online as manipulative and urging the public not to give it credence. At its weekly press briefing, the ministry said border security is maintained around the clock using the most advanced technology in the history of the Republic, and that the armed forces are coordinating with relevant state institutions to prepare for all scenarios arising from regional developments. The ministry reiterated Turkey’s position on the broader conflict, calling for an immediate halt to attacks, the establishment of a lasting ceasefire, and the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
✈️ Loud Bangs Over Antalya Are Test Flights, Not F-16 War Manoeuvres, Says Government
Turkey’s Centre for Combating Disinformation has pushed back against social media claims that Turkish F-16 fighter jets have been conducting intensive flight operations over Antalya, stating that the sounds alarming residents are in fact sonic booms produced during test flights of the HÜRJET jet trainer aircraft, a project being developed by Turkish aerospace manufacturer TUSAŞ. The centre said the flights are being carried out over the sea from Antalya Air Base as part of planned test activity, and that there is no unusual military movement of any kind. It urged citizens to follow only official sources and to be wary of content designed to spread panic and fear.
Economy
🏭 Turkish-Made Goods to Qualify as ‘Made in EU’ Under Brussels Industrial Acceleration Draft Law
The European Commission’s draft Industrial Acceleration Act, published on 4 March and now before the EU Council and European Parliament, includes a provision that would allow Turkish-origin products to qualify in principle as “Made in EU” for the purposes of public procurement in strategic sectors — a significant diplomatic win for Ankara following intensive lobbying by Turkey’s ministries of trade and foreign affairs. The “Made in EU” criterion will apply to procurement in the automotive, steel, cement, aluminium, and net-zero technology sectors, with the possibility of further sectors being added later. Turkey, which is deeply integrated into EU markets through its Customs Union and candidate status but cannot automatically benefit from the EU’s free trade agreements with third countries, had identified inclusion in this framework as a priority, particularly given concerns that an EU-India free trade deal could erode Turkish manufacturers’ competitive position in European supply chains. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat welcomed the development, describing Turkey as an indispensable part of European value chains across several critical product groups and saying the move was expected to deepen sectoral integration and accelerate the green and digital transformation of shared supply chains.
📊 Turkey’s Pension System Shows Signs of Stabilisation After Early Retirement Scheme Shock
Turkey’s social security system showed tentative signs of recovery in 2025 after the actuarial balance was severely disrupted by the EYT early retirement scheme in 2023, which allowed millions of people who had been blocked from retiring due to age requirements to claim their pensions immediately, adding over two million new retirees in a single year. According to Social Security Institution (SGK) data, the number of active contributors grew by 703,000 in 2025 to reach 26.3 million — roughly double the rate at which new retirees were added — stabilising the critical active-to-passive ratio at 1.62 contributors per pensioner, marginally up from the historic low of 1.61 recorded at the end of 2024 and well below the pre-EYT level of 2.01 in 2022. Economists generally consider a ratio of four active workers per retiree to be the ideal for a sustainable system, though many countries fall far short of this. The total number of pension recipients reached 17 million, whilst a striking 2.15 million people continue to work after retirement — more than double the figure of 945,000 recorded before the EYT scheme came into force — with retirees returning to private sector employment required to pay a social security support contribution of 32 per cent of their earnings.