Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Events in Syria have taken an unprecedented turn. Until the last few weeks, Turkey and the U.S., as well as a coalition of Western and Arab states, were advocating a centralised and unitary state under Ahmed Al Sharaa’s leadership. Now this basic tenet of international support seems to be in question after U.S. special representative for Syria Thomas Barrack backtracked from the idea.
Akın Gürlek, Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor known for ordering probes and detentions against the opposition CHP, spoke on camera for the first time at the opening of the new judicial year. He said indictments related to the Istanbul Municipality would be ready in September and October.
İsmet Sayhan, the former head of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and a close associate of MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, was arrested in Ankara. Amid speculation that the detention was a sign of cracks in the ruling alliance, Bahçeli and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Bitlis’s Ahlat and Malazgirt on Aug. 25–26, posing for cameras to signal the strength of their alliance in their first meeting since July 10. They even listened to folk songs together.
Baykar Aviation announced that its new-generation Bayraktar TB2T-AI unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), equipped with a turbo engine and artificial intelligence, reached an altitude of 40,023 feet (12,200 m) during a performance test on Aug. 23. The milestone marked a new altitude record in its class.
The detention of two lawyers in the same Istanbul Municipality corruption file has highlighted different approaches within the judiciary.
The parliamentary National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission held two tense meetings this week, first hearing from Turkey’s bar associations and then from former parliamentary speakers.The MPs on the commission, who had so far avoided direct confrontation, engaged in their first open war of words after bar leaders gave long speeches stressing constitutional rights and the rule of law.
Turkey Bar Association (TBB) President Erinç Sağkan told parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission that no political or legal issue in Turkey can be resolved without respect for the constitution.
İsmet Sayhan, former president of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and a close associate of MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, has been arrested.
The DEM Party delegation will visit Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed PKK founder, on İmralı Island on Aug. 28, following weeks of criticism over limited access.
Nusret Yılmaz, one of the attorneys representing jailed Istanbul Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, has been released under judicial control measures.
The corruption probe into Istanbul and other CHP-run municipalities has taken a new turn, extending beyond politicians, lawyers, mobsters, and journalists to include a hitman. The alleged hitman is said to have acted on the instructions of Selahattin Yılmaz, a figure backed by MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli. The latest detentions targeted several lawyers and legal experts, whose ultra-luxurious offices and lavish lifestyles raised questions, with images suggesting close links to the government.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has joined Next Sosyal, the social media platform founded by his son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar, chair of the board of directors at Baykar.