Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Fresh judicial action hit opposition-run municipalities on Oct. 1, the day parliament reopened. Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer, Yenişehir Mayor Abdullah Özyiğit and Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer were among 59 people detained.
The court released four defendants, while informants who testified under effective remorse provisions refused to answer most questions from defense lawyers during cross-examination, claiming their previous testimonies were based on hearsay.
A judicial investigation has spread to top-tier football referees, leading to the detention of Central Referee Committee (MHK) Chair Ferhat Gündoğdu and six other officials.
Ali Şekeroğlu, 60, took his own life outside the Constitutional Court while demanding a pay raise for retirees on Sept. 25. Şekeroğlu died by suicide with his own weapon.
The government has officially ended its sliding scale tax mechanism on fuel, triggering an immediate price hike at the pump.
Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya is a politician who has figured prominently in the latest investment fund scandal. She and her husband made staggering sums from funds in a very short time.
The main Istanbul Municipality corruption trial completed its 87th day on Sept. 24. The court heard nine more defendants, leaving 63 of 325 still to testify, as the presiding judge aims to complete the second session by the end of September.
With the start of the new legislative year on Oct. 1, the main agenda will be the ongoing peace process concerning the Kurdish issue, which faces gridlock about the timing of demands over disarmament, legal guarantees, and the official status of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Clouds are gathering over opposition politicians. Each new development makes them darker. Judicial rulings block opposition parties at every turn.
The last hearing in the second session of the Istanbul Municipality case regarding corruption accusations closed before 6 p.m. for the first time on Sept. 17, after weeks of hearings that had stretched late into the night.
An investigation into the death of Turkish intelligence official Kaşif Kozinoğlu also reached into one of the country’s most watched television series, 'Valley of the Wolves.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks during a meeting in his hometown of Rize sparked debate over an early election, though officials quickly downplayed the likelihood of an imminent vote.