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FULL-FLEDGED CRACKDOWN ON CHP CONTINUES
Inside Turkey May 29, 2026

FULL-FLEDGED CRACKDOWN ON CHP CONTINUES

The financial crimes police raided Şile Municipality on July 10, detaining Mayor Özgür Kabadayı as part of the widening corruption investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities. It was yet another ordinary day for the main opposition, which has been facing near-daily legal turmoil since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on March 19. CHP Istanbul Chair Özgür Çelik said Kabadayı and several others were detained in house raids at 1:30 a.m. Arrest warrants were issued for at least six individuals, said the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Editorial Team
FIDAN BRIEFS LOYALIST MEDIA OFF THE RECORD — BUT TO WHAT END?
Foreign Affairs May 8, 2026

FIDAN BRIEFS LOYALIST MEDIA OFF THE RECORD — BUT TO WHAT END?

Journalist Deniz Zeyrek writes about a closed-door briefing organized by AKP's media and communications chief Faruk Acar, at which Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to senior editors and Ankara bureau chiefs from pro-government outlets about Turkey's foreign policy. Zeyrek identifies three problems with the meeting.

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RESHUFFLING AMONG POLICE CHIEFS AND GOVERNORS
Inside Turkey May 1, 2026

RESHUFFLING AMONG POLICE CHIEFS AND GOVERNORS

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed a new national police chief and reassigned several governors and provincial police directors in a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on April 30.

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EYES ON LIBYA AGAIN
Security and Defense Apr 16, 2026

EYES ON LIBYA AGAIN

The TAF is participating in a US-led military exercise in Libya, where Turkey backed the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west during the civil war. Meanwhile, attention has again focused on the plane crash in which the GNA Chief of Staff Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al Haddad and his delegation died near Ankara on Dec. 23, 2025.

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SEEN BY TURKISH OPPOSITION AS SYMBOL OF INJUSTICE NAMED JUSTICE MINISTER
Inside Turkey Feb 10, 2026

SEEN BY TURKISH OPPOSITION AS SYMBOL OF INJUSTICE NAMED JUSTICE MINISTER

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reshuffled his Cabinet, appointing Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as justice minister, replacing Yılmaz Tunç. Gürlek has long been a target of the main opposition, dating back to his tenure as head of Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court, and more recently since his appointment as chief public prosecutor in October 2024, amid a series of high-profile court cases. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya was also replaced, with Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi named to the post. Gürlek’s appointment is widely viewed as a promotion

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EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY
Guest Voices Jan 22, 2026

EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY

The European Union’s push to conclude free trade agreements (FTAs) is reshaping the economic landscape around its periphery. Chief among these is the long-negotiated EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement, alongside accelerating talks with India. While these agreements are formally bilateral between the EU and third parties, their implications extend well beyond signatories. For Turkey, which is bound to the EU through a customs union covering industrial goods, these deals carry direct consequences—despite Ankara not being a negotiating party.

Guest Voices
IS MERAL AKŞENER MAKING A COMEBACK?
Portrait of the Week Nov 13, 2025

IS MERAL AKŞENER MAKING A COMEBACK?

You may ask, “Meral Akşener? Where did that come from?” It’s been a year and a half since she bid farewell to both the İYİ Party leadership and active politics. She has remained completely silent since. Yet, in recent days, an unexpected Akşener debate has been simmering—not in the headlines, but in İYİ Party circles. The discussion did not start with her; she has kept her silence. But when Esma Bekar—Akşener’s former chief of staff and perhaps the person closest to her—posted a message, the question suddenly arose: “Is Akşener returning?”

Anonymous
TELE1 EMPLOYEES RESIGN
Media, Internet and Culture Nov 7, 2025

TELE1 EMPLOYEES RESIGN

With a trustee taking control and editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ under arrest, TELE1’s staff continued to resign en masse as the CHP promised to revive the station through a new platform.

Editorial Team