As of March 23, 2025, the Turkish government has appointed trustees to 13 municipalities since the March 31, 2024 local elections. Below is the updated list, including the latest appointment in Şişli Municipality: Updated List of Trustee Appointments Hakkari Municipality (June 3, 2024): DEM Party Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış was replaced by Hakkari Governor Ali … Read more
Well, Imamoğlu’s imprisonment seems like Turkish authorities symbolically annulled the right to vote and to be elected. Most Istanbulites elected him for the third time- he increased his votes every time-, and here is what we have now. Secondly, a strong potential rival of the current president is eliminated by imprisoning him. I observe a … Read more
Here is a round-up of what happened until noon on March 22 in the latest wave of crackdown in Türkiye: I have translated the allegations against İmamoğlu and his responses in this PDF file: Allegations against Ekrem İmamoğlu and İBB Turkey spends record $12bn defending lira after Erdoğan rival’s arrests. In the Istanbul Bar … Read more
There are some signs of protests I haven’t seen since the Gezi Protests. However, it is too early to say whether these will continue. In any case, we still need a VPN to continue our daily internet surfing. The police are not too brutal at the moment against the student movement we haven’t seen … Read more
I have a morning class starting at 9 am, and I didn’t check the news, but my students informed me about the developments during the break. Because of the internet throttling, it isn’t easy to access many social platforms. Police closed some of the main routes, my students had difficulty arriving at the campus, and … Read more
However, getting a visa still takes time. I waited a year for a tourist visa interview last year. A draft circulating inside the administration lists three tiers of countries whose citizens may face restrictions on entering the United States. via
The image shared in the tweet by @alemannoEU triggered both positive and negative comments about the Turkish flag’s inclusion. Well, I don’t mind at all. I hope the current geopolitical crises may help Türkiye become better positioned within the European frame. But both parties, the EU and Turkish leadership, should really work for it. Let’s … Read more
We live through exciting days, but I feel like PKK’s announcement did not get adequate coverage among the regional and global developments. Since most of the negotiations were secret, we do not know much, but I am glad to hear this anyway! Öcalan’s call got a response from his organizationç The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) … Read more
I will be following this development closely in the next days… PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the group to lay down arms in a historic statement on February 27, 2025. In a message read by a delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, Öcalan urged the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to … Read more
Two senior leaders of TÜSİAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association), Turkey’s largest business association, have faced legal action and travel restrictions due to their critical remarks about the government13. Key events: : On February 14, 2025, Turkish prosecutors initiated an investigation into Ömer Aras, Chair of TÜSİAD’s High Advisory Council, for his critical remarks on … Read more
Let me just note that the Daily Sabah citations represent the government’s dominant view on these arrests and are not really journalistic at all. Ümit Özdağ, the leader of the far-right Victory Party (ZP), was recently arrested in Turkey. Here’s an overview of his situation: Arrest and Charges Özdağ was initially detained on January 20, … Read more
Here is a summary of what happened in a day: DEM Party MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan, who met with PKK leader Öcalan after the process started with the call of MHP leader Bahçeli, started to meet with political parties together with Ahmet Türk, the mayor of Mardin province Ahmet Türk. The DEM … Read more
One could observe that the government is very employer-friendly. Bianet listed all the banned/postponed strike proposals since 2003. Here are the banned strikes under the rule of the AKP: The first strike ban during the AKP era occurred on Jul 1, 2003, at Petlas Tire Industry and Trade Inc., where workers were represented by the … Read more
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, now known by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has undergone a significant visual transformation that mirrors his political evolution from a jihadist leader to Syria’s new de facto ruler. This change in appearance has been a deliberate part of his efforts to rebrand himself and his organization. Early Years: The Militant Look … Read more
We will see whether Türkiye really benefits from the developments in Syria, but she is actively involved: Turkish Embassy in Damascus resumes operations after 12 years Turkey condemns Israel plan to double Golan Heights population Here are the key Türkiye-related news items regarding Syria: Turkey’s Diplomatic Moves • Turkey reopened its embassy in Syria on … Read more