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NOT A DRAMA, BUT REALITY: 248 DAYS IN PRISON
Portrait of the Week Oct 3, 2025

NOT A DRAMA, BUT REALITY: 248 DAYS IN PRISON

Who is Ayşe Barım? Those who should know her, don’t. The people of this country—who have lived all their lives below the poverty line, and not even all of them, only a few—first heard her name in the news bulletins. When? Exactly 248 days ago, when she was arrested. They didn’t know Ayşe Barım, but in the evenings they gathered with their families or friends, cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV dramas with excitement. Yet those viewers had no idea what was happening behind the screen. Behind the mesmerizing shows they watched so devotedly stood an unknown figure. Under the headlines “Çağlayan Courthouse / Silivri Prison,” Ayşe Barım was forced—by the hand of the judiciary, not by her own will—to step onto the stage from behind the curtains.

Anonymous
ONCE A TOP TAXPAYER, ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CINER
Media, Internet and Culture Oct 3, 2025

ONCE A TOP TAXPAYER, ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CINER

The money laundering investigation into Can Holding has now expanded to the Ciner Group. The probe, which includes charges of fraud, money laundering, smuggling, and forming a criminal organization, now focuses on the $350 million sale of media outlets — including Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT — from the Ciner Group to Can Holding. According to Sabah daily, the funds were allegedly transported in suitcases and deposited in banks as cash. Turgay Ciner, once among Turkey’s top taxpayers and currently residing abroad, is now the subject of an arrest warrant.

Editorial Team
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN DETERRENCE AND PROVOCATION IN THE BLACK SEA
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Oct 3, 2025

FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN DETERRENCE AND PROVOCATION IN THE BLACK SEA

When a European expert based in Bulgaria received an invitation to a conference in Tbilisi, he decided to take the maritime route, boarding the ferry from Burgaz to Batumi. At one stage of the 64-hour crossing, while sailing in the open sea, the ferry shut its transponder and turned off its lights. A Russian fuel tanker approached and docked with the ferry to provide fuel to the ship, which is mainly used by trucks. The expert later found out that Russia sold the fuel 30 to 40 percent less than the market price. The captain of the ferry confessed he had all the official documents proving that the fuel was purchased from Romania.

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AYŞE BARIM FACES HOSPITALIZATION AND RE-ARREST
Media, Internet and Culture Oct 2, 2025

AYŞE BARIM FACES HOSPITALIZATION AND RE-ARREST

Talent manager Ayşe Barım, on trial for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was briefly granted conditional release under judicial supervision—until an upper court overturned the ruling and issued a new arrest warrant just as she was about to undergo a medical procedure.

Editorial Team
EYES ON ERDOĞAN’S MESSAGE, BAHÇELİ’S INITIATIVE AS NEW TERM BEGINS
Inside Turkey Sep 29, 2025

EYES ON ERDOĞAN’S MESSAGE, BAHÇELİ’S INITIATIVE AS NEW TERM BEGINS

As the Turkish Parliament begins its new legislative year on Oct. 1, attention will center on MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli—who launched the “Terror-Free Turkey” peace initiative a year ago—and on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks regarding its future. Following a 70-day recess, Parliament will convene with a special General Assembly session at 2:00 p.m. As usual, Erdoğan will deliver an opening address, though the CHP will boycott the ceremony in protest of recent mayoral arrests and crackdowns on municipalities. This year, the political spotlight will remain on post-PKK arrangements such as the “Return Home” law, the “right to hope,” and amendments to the penal code.

Editorial Team
TURKISH PRESSURE OR LOCAL WILL? NORTHERN CYPRUS FACES ITS CHOICE
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Sep 29, 2025

TURKISH PRESSURE OR LOCAL WILL? NORTHERN CYPRUS FACES ITS CHOICE

It was already known that the questions posed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on board the presidential plane were pre-prepared by the Directorate of Communications. Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici has revealed, with concrete evidence this time, what has been an open secret. Bildirici received the full text of the questions and answers long before the conversation took place on the plane taking Erdoğan and journalists back to Turkey from Washington.

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KEDİ
Word of the Week Sep 26, 2025

KEDİ

The word of the week is kedi, or cat, the agile, intuitive feline who is supposed to have nine lives. The Turkish word kedi ultimately goes back to Late Latin cattus (“cat”), with an intermediate form in Byzantine Greek gati (γ α τί, “kitten”) from which it passed into Ottoman Turkish as kedi. So why is it the word of the week? Because of the Istanbul Biennial, the must-see flagship event of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) that continues until the end of November.

Nazlan Ertan
ADDITIONAL TARIFFS ON U.S.-MADE PRODUCTS REMOVED
Economy and Finance Sep 26, 2025

ADDITIONAL TARIFFS ON U.S.-MADE PRODUCTS REMOVED

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan removed additional tariffs on certain U.S.-made products, including automobiles, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Presidential Decree was published in the Official Gazette, saying that no additional taxes will be imposed on imports of U.S.-origin products such as passenger cars, cosmetics and skin care products, leaf tobacco, and alcoholic beverages.

Editorial Team
BAHÇELİ'S TRÇ PROPOSAL FALLS FLAT
Foreign Affairs Sep 26, 2025

BAHÇELİ'S TRÇ PROPOSAL FALLS FLAT

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shows no interest in MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli's proposal that Turkey, Russia, and China (TRÇ) should form an alliance against the U.S.-Israel coalition.

Editorial Team