From Obscenity to Money Laundering: The OnlyFans Crackdown in Turkey

Recently, Sixteen detained over ‘laundering OnlyFans income’. I have asked Perplexity to round up the OnlyFans ordeal in Türkiye: OnlyFans has been formally blocked in Turkey since June 2023 and, since late 2023, authorities have escalated criminal investigations and financial-crime probes targeting creators who earned income from the platform. Access ban and legal basis Access … Read more

Initial reactions to the Imamoğlu Case Indictment

Here is an overview by Perplexity. Overview: The İmamoğlu Indictment On November 11, 2025, Turkish authorities announced a sweeping indictment against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Mayor of Istanbul and a leading opposition figure. The nearly 4,000-page indictment accuses İmamoğlu and 401 others of forming and leading a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, tender rigging, … Read more

On a Sunday midnight, the police blockades the main opposition party building…

Turkey’s main opposition party faces police blockade as court appoints new leadership in İstanbul … and our internet connections are allegedly throttled (I cannot watch YouTube properly at the moment), so that citizens cannot be informed. There’s never peace of mind in this country. Here is background for tonight’s chaos: Turkey’s main opposition party, the … Read more

Fatih Altaylı arrested.

I believe the reasons for Mr. Altaylı’s detainment or arrest are not justified. He should be free, and I think he will be free soon. However, what I will list here is his long-term career of abusing the rights of many sectors of society. Anti-government circles are quick to heroize him, and some Western circles … Read more

Turkey Detains 11 CHP Mayors in Latest Crackdown on Opposition (as of June 5, 2025)

Detained mayors were transferred to the hospital for inspection in a humiliating manner…  Toll of Detained CHP Mayors in Turkey (as of June 5, 2025) Summary: As of June 5, 2025, Turkish authorities have detained and removed a total of 11 mayors from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), including Istanbul’s Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, … Read more

Absurdly, Grup Yorum is banned in major platforms in Turkey

Grup Yorum has been around for so many decades that it was another shameful censorship by Turkish authorities.  We all know that it has affiliations to an outlawed armed revolutionary organization, but that organization is not even active nowadays. And audiences for the band are definitely beyond that group. I find this censorship really unnecessary. … Read more

Turkey’s Diyanet intends to ban some Quran Translations

Details of Turkey’s Planned Ban on Certain Quran Translations A Turkish parliamentary committee has recently approved a controversial bill that would grant the state-run Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) sweeping powers to censor, seize, and destroy Quran translations it deems “contrary to the essential principles of Islam”15. Under this proposed legislation, a Diyanet-appointed board would … Read more

X blocks İmamoğlu’s account in Turkey, continuing its censorship policies

X (formerly Twitter) blocked Ekrem İmamoğlu’s account in Turkey following a legal demand and court order issued by Turkish authorities. The official reason given was that posts on his account, particularly one from April 24, allegedly incited people to commit crimes and amounted to “propaganda for a criminal organization.” Authorities cited concerns over public order … Read more

Imamoğlu Family in Prison

After 45 days in prison, Ekrem İmamoğlu’s first photo from the prison as his family visits him. The photo was first broadcasted by OdaTv. Allegations Against Ekrem İmamoğlu Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and a leading opposition figure, was arrested on March 19, 2025, and formally detained on March 23, 2025, facing a series … Read more

This Image Is Worth $44.5 Billion

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

Nearly 300 Students Remain in Prisons After Protests

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

English Wikipedia edition’s top post this week: “2025 Turkish protests”

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

The messy politics of boycotting. CHP’s boycott campaign

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

Mass arrests including journalists in Imamoğlu protests

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

Who is Mahir Polat?

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