MEDIA FIGURES SPEAK OUT ABOUT POLICE MISCONDUCT
Reports of police mistreatment and physical abuse during police detention are rising, as figures, such as journalists and comedians after detentions or arrests speak louder.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
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MASSIVE ARREST WAVE HITS ANKARA AHEAD OF NATO SUMMIT
More than 200 people were detained in police raids ahead of the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. Following the sweeping operations launched by the Ankara police on June 23, courts have already ordered the formal arrest of 103 individuals out of 129 referred to the judiciary.
FORMER TOP PROSECUTOR ARRESTED IN WARDROBE AFTER 10 YEARS ON THE RUN
A former top prosecutor, wanted for nearly a decade over his alleged ties to the Gülenist movement, which Turkey officially designated as a terrorist group, was arrested after police found him hiding in a secret compartment inside a wardrobe.
AFTER CORRUPTION CASES, ESPIONAGE CHARGES KEEP PRESSURE ON CHP
The brief respite after a court rejected a bid to unseat main opposition CHP Chair Özgür Özel and annul the party’s 2023 congress has now given way to a widening espionage probe. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his campaign director Necati Özkan were rearrested on espionage charges, while a trustee was appointed to TELE1 television channel and its editor-in-chief, Merdan Yanardağ, was also taken into custody on Oct. 24.
AS LONG-WAITED INDICTMENT EMERGES, CHP LAUNCHES COUNTEROFFENSIVE
Amid a sustained crackdown on opposition-run municipalities, CHP Chair Özgür Özel has begun unveiling alleged corruption within government-affiliated municipalities. Özel disclosed specific dates, figures, locations, names—and even codes linked to a secret witness—to support his claims. His announcement follows the release of the first indictment involving businessperson Aziz İhsan Aktaş, whose testimony led to the arrest of seven CHP mayors.
CHP FACES INTENSIFYING CRACKDOWN DESPITE LEGAL REPRIEVE
The CHP has received a brief reprieve from ongoing legal turmoil as a lawsuit seeking to annul its 38th Ordinary Congress—held on November 4–5, 2023—was postponed to Oct. 24. The delay offers the party a short breathing space. Now it is preparing for a new extraordinary congress on Sept. 21 that might address some of the legal challenges it faces. But the crackdown against CHP municipalities is pressing on. In the latest development, Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu became the 12th CHP mayor arrested in Istanbul—and the 18th nationwide—since the crackdown began in October 2024.
ÖZEL PULLS NO PUNCHES ON JUDICIARY
CHP Chair Özgür Özel sharply attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during a protest over the arrest of Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney.
EUROFIGHTERS: A STOPGAP WITH STRINGS
The German government has dropped its veto on the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, thanks to the requests of the Turkish opposition, claimed Özgür Özel, the head of the CHP. While Berlin has been dragging its feet on talks for the warplanes, which are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain, a news report suggested in April that the German government had decided to keep blocking the sale due to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19. While such a decision was never officially confirmed, İmamoğlu tweeted from his prison cell, objecting to the veto and Özel kept the issue on the agenda during talks with his German counterparts.
MAY DAY CLAMPDOWN OVERSHADOWED BY ERDOĞAN’S ITALIAN CHARM OFFENSIVE
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a one-day official visit to Italy on April 29. He was received in Rome with pomp by his counterpart Sergio Matarella as well as Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. This was a visit of niceties on each side. To Erdoğan’s satisfaction, the Italians did not raise any political issues, especially those pertaining to his iron fist authoritarian rule and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu’s arrest.
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.
CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTATOR ARRESTED IN ILLEGAL BETTING PROBE SAYS INVESTIGATION IS 'CORRECT'
Pro-government television commentator Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı was remanded in custody on May 18 as part of a wide illegal betting and money laundering investigation led by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
CAN HOLDING FIGURES RELEASED UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Following the appointment of trustees to companies linked to Can Holding, including major media outlets, two senior figures in the ongoing investigation have been released under house arrest.