On April 11, 2025, he appeared in court at the Silivri Open Penal Institution for a trial related to allegations that he threatened Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The case involves charges that could result in a prison sentence of up to seven years and four months, as well as a political ban. İmamoğlu … Read more
I woke to hear that new detainments had been made this early morning. Meanwhile, Mahir Polat’s ordeal continues. His health condition is a significant concern, as he has serious heart issues, including multiple stents and recent angioplasty procedures while in prison. Despite his health risks, including hypertension and potential for heart attack or stroke, his … Read more
Here is the link: 2025 Turkish protests Turkish edition’s top post is also about the protests: 2025 Türkiye’de hükûmet karşıtı protestolar Here is also the 2025 timeline of anti-government protests in Turkey In the meantime, a BBC journalist was deported from Türkiye. Mark Lowen, a BBC News correspondent, was detained by Turkish authorities in Istanbul … Read more
CHP started a boycott campaign against several brands, and they are officially listed here on the boycott page. It is reasonable to mobilize masses as such, but every brand boycott requires strategic planning. I am not sure about some of the brands. Let’s see how it goes. The CHP’s boycott campaign in Turkey is a … Read more
Photojournalists of international organizations are arrested so that we cannot see what happens. But can they prevent reporting? Back to citizen journalism 101. In the meantime, I observed more motivation among the university students for further protests. Several journalists were detained during the protests in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. … Read more
I wanted to talk about Mahir Polat. I did not meet him, but I always heard positive feedback about him. -I cannot say the same for many others in Imamoğlu’s inner circle- A modest person who worked hard to contribute to Istanbul’s cultural heritage. He was arrested along with Imamoğlu. In the last elections, he … Read more
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
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
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
On November 29, 2024, nine pro-Palestinian activists were arrested in Turkey for protesting against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ongoing trade relations with Israel amid the Gaza conflict. The incident occurred during Erdoğan’s speech at an international event organized by Turkish state broadcaster TRT in İstanbul[1][2]. The Protest Two activists from the Direniş Çadırı (Resistance Tent) … Read more
A few days ago, Osman Kavala marked seven years in prison Such a waste of life. Even the many in the government know he does not deserve to be in prison. But he symbolizes a life view that the current nationalist bloc hates. Osman Kavala, a prominent Turkish businessman and civil society leader, marked the … Read more
Nationalist hysteria has led to the license revocation of one of Turkey’s best examples of community radio. I am really sad. Açık Radyo was a pioneer in climate crisis-related broadcasting in the country. Here is a roundup: Turkey fined Açık Radyo and imposed sanctions on the station due to statements made during a broadcast of their program “Açık … Read more