Analysis – Turkey In Depth – Smart, informed focus on the stories that matter

Deep Dive May 29, 2026

IMAMOĞLU VOWS FOR COLLAPSE OF THE CORRUPTION PROBE

"This political case will collapse," Istanbul Mayor and the CHP's presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu declared repeatedly while delivering the last remarks on the 15th session of the corruption hearing. The courtroom was again full like the first days of the hearing as many were expecting a court ruling on release of several defendants. Only 18 of those under pre-trial detention were released, according to the midnight interim ruling. As expected, İmamoğlu’s executive assistant Kadriye Kasapoğlu and low profile figures like the drivers or workers were released but former CHP MP Aykut Erdoğdu was not on the list.

Editorial Team

Guest Voices May 29, 2026

İLBER ORTAYLI: WHEN A SOCIETY LOSES A HISTORIAN

All deaths are tragic. They touch a family, a circle of friends, a silence suddenly too large for the room. But some deaths pass beyond the private wound and enter the deeper chambers of public life. They reveal the loss not only of a person, but of a habit of mind, a manner of thinking, a discipline of attention, a way of teaching a society to recognise itself. The death of Professor İlber Ortaylı feels like that kind of loss.

Editorial Team

Deep Dive May 29, 2026

INVESTIGATION INTO CELEBRITIES EXPANDS TO İMAMOĞLU AND ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY

An investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into alleged drug use and prostitution involving celebrities has widened to include Istanbul Municipality and its jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, following media reports referring to secret hotel rooms, gambling, private parties and jet travel.

Editorial Team

Portrait of the Week May 29, 2026

ALTAN ÖYMEN: FAREWELL TO THE MAN WITH TWO UMBRELLAS

Altan Öymen passed away this week at the age of 93. Throughout his long life, he always carried two umbrellas—journalism and politics. He journeyed nearly 75 years under both. One could have said “he wore two hats,” but “umbrella” suits Altan Öymen’s life better. A hat is for one person alone; an umbrella is something under which many can take shelter, from the sun and rain. That’s why Öymen chose not hats, but umbrellas. And under his umbrella, there was always room for more than just himself.

Anonymous

Inside Turkey May 15, 2026

IMAMOĞLU SHUTTLES BETWEEN SILIVRI COURTROOMS

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the detained Istanbul mayor and the CHP's presidential candidate, shuttled between two courtrooms at the Silivri complex — and both hearings produced developments that cut against the prosecution's narrative.

Editorial Team

Inside Turkey Apr 17, 2026

DEFENDANTS CONTINUE CHALLENGING CORRUPTION INDICTMENT ON İMAMOĞLU CASE

The sixth week of the mass corruption trial of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 400 co-defendants produced some of its most dramatic courtroom exchanges. İmamoğlu and the presiding judge continued sharp exchanges while the municipality’s housing company, KİPTAŞ, chair Ali Kurt implicated senior government figures in a land scheme, and the European Court of Human Rights formally demanded answers from Ankara.

Editorial Team

Deep Dive Jan 2, 2026

FROM NEWSROOMS TO FOOTBALL CLUBS, TURKEY’S DRUG PROBE WIDENS

The drug-using operation that started with artists in October, then extended to sports, media, business and politics, continues with the unlawful sharing of private conversations and denials of drug use despite forensic reports. The names of some prosecutors, politicians and advisers appeared in the investigation early on, yet media coverage has so far remained silent about them.

Editorial Team

Portrait of the Week Dec 4, 2025

SOMEONE CALLED FURKAN

Furkan Karabay, 29, is a journalist and has been detained three times in the past two years. On the 201st day of his latest imprisonment, he was sentenced but released. He refused to present a defense, tearing up the indictment in the courtroom.

Anonymous

Media, Internet and Culture Nov 26, 2025

FATİH ALTAYLI CONVICTED OF THREATENING PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN, SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS

A Turkish court has handed a four-year prison sentence to journalist Fatih Altaylı after he was convicted of threatening President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Altaylı, known for his popular YouTube programs, denies the charges and plans to appeal, after prosecutors accused him of physically threatening the president based on remarks he made on his channel. He was arrested on June 22 and appeared before the judge for the second time at this week’s hearing. He was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for threatening the president. The court ruled that judicial control would be insufficient and ordered that his detention continue. Altaylı threw the notes and files in his hand after hearing the decision and left the courtroom.

Editorial Team

Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Sep 19, 2025

ANKARA–BEIJING TIES TESTED FROM HOTEL DOORS TO TRADE FLOORS

It is not unusual for a Turkish citizen visiting China to receive a knock on the door in the middle of the night by a police officer. On my third day in China, I received a call from the reception telling me a police officer wanted to come up to my room to ask a few questions. I said that I would come down and while I was trying to get in touch with the German think-tank that had invited me to China, the receptionist and the police officer were at the door of my hotel room.

Barçın Yinanç

Capital Currents Aug 1, 2025

HOW WILL THE PKK’S DISARMAMENT SHAPE POLITICS?

The dissolution and disarmament of the PKK, so far managed through security institutions, will be brought to Parliament’s agenda next week through a newly established commission. Although framed as “above politics” and “beyond party interests,” the “process” is creating new political maneuvering room for all parties. From the government to the opposition, political actors are repositioning themselves and recalculating strategies with an eye on the 2028 elections.

Nergis Demirkaya

In-Depth Analysis