I have asked Perplexity to collect information about Schengen visa application rates. Here is what we found: For the ten most recent fully published years (2015–2024), the acceptance rate for Schengen short-stay visa applications lodged in Türkiye fell markedly overall—from roughly 96% in 2015 to 85.5% in 2024—with the sharpest deterioration occurring after 2017 and … Read more
As of the 12–13 September 2026 operation, it now reaches beyond the routine suppression of Pride marches to include criminal investigations, raids on civil-society organizations and venues, detentions, online censorship, and policies framed around “family” and “morality.” The latest September 2026 operation alone placed 162 people, nine associations, and 13 businesses under investigation across 15 … Read more
The European Court of Human Rights’ Grand Chamber ruling of 25 August means that Turkey is under a binding legal obligation to release Osman Kavala and remedy the consequences of his conviction. The Court said he should be freed “at the earliest possible date” and that the conviction cannot lawfully continue to justify his imprisonment … Read more
Netanyahu and his government are so belligerent and act with impunity that I would not be surprised if Israel attacked a Turkish entity directly. But one should also keep in mind that it is election time and Netanyahu likes to escalate things with Türkiye. Here is a roundup of recent developments: Israel’s recent posture is … Read more
After the Süleymancılar, “Furkancılar” is also under investigation. This is a relatively small group based in Adana. Their type of activism differs greatly from that of the Süleymancılar, who have been exposed to a judicial process. The August 2026 Crackdown on the Furkan Movement in Turkey: Law, Politics, and Religious Civil Society Executive summary Turkey’s … Read more
Süleymancılar and Turkey’s August 2026 Crackdown: Movement, State Relations, Legal Architecture, and Political Stakes Executive summary As of 18:25 TRT on Thursday, 13 August 2026, Turkey is conducting a large, multi-province criminal investigation centered on Alihan Kuriş, the current leader associated with the religious community conventionally known as the Süleymancılar. The most important qualification is … Read more
Key takeaways: Broad coalition backing: AKP, MHP, DEM, HÜDA PAR, and New Path signed the bill (360 signatures), with CHP largely supportive despite internal turmoil. Nationalist opposition: İYİ Party and Zafer (Victory) Party remain firmly against it, framing it as a betrayal or existential threat to the unitary state. DEM’s conditional embrace: The pro-Kurdish party … Read more
I do not believe NATO is doing well at all. I am not sure to what extent this summit triggered international reactions, but here in Türkiye, it was a big deal. The government used this as an occasion to show off. I have asked both ChatGPT and Perplexity to collect information about this summit. You … Read more
Comedian Deniz Göktaş detained after new show goes viral today. It was an expected result. Mr. Göktaş seemed well prepared for the aftermath. If he ever performs the third act, it will center around his prison days. This time, I asked Grok to round up positive and negative critiques on X about Deniz Göktaş’s … Read more
International Press Institute (IPI), together with press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights organisations, has written to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to raise urgent concerns about the denial of accreditation to independent media in Türkiye seeking to cover the 2026 Ankara Summit. Dear Secretary General Rutte, The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, … Read more
Ankara is no good for the citizens nowadays. The media accreditation process is especially disappointing. Here is a roundup: Preventive arrests and bans on dissent Police have detained more than 200 people in large “anti‑terror” operations in Ankara, Istanbul and other cities, formally targeting alleged members of jihadist and far‑left organisations.[4][3][5] Among those detained are … Read more
Koç Holding just marked its 100th anniversary with highly visible, Republican‑symbolic events in Ankara, including a mass Anıtkabir visit with about 6,000 employees and dealers, where Ömer Koç signed the Anıtkabir special book in the name of the group: The group also organized large‑scale public celebrations in Ankara (e.g., Tarkan concert in Millet Bahçesi) that … Read more
While my colleagues and I were in distress whether we have our university or not, Türkiye’s main opposition party had its own ordeal, which is lasting, unlike ours. Here is a review: The past two weeks have seen the most dramatic legal blow ever delivered to Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), … Read more
Two new reports tell a similar story about democratic decline inside “the Western alliance”. One tracks the steep fall of academic freedom in the United States. The other shows Turkey sinking to the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index. Together, they suggest that NATO’s “allies” are increasingly aligned militarily, but drifting away from any … Read more
I believe she will regret this. After all those years of membership negotiations with the country, her rotten conscience cannot accept Türkiye as part of Europe. Maybe that’s a good thing for Turks, I don’t know. Like Biden, her outdated political standing cannot adapt to the changing geopolitics. The biggest security crisis now comes from … Read more