ECHR GIVES PRIORITY TO İMAMOĞLU'S APPLICATION
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will give priority to a review of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention.
Analysis
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CLASHING TESTIMONIES OVER ‘RED-HAIRED PROSECUTOR’ IN ISTANBUL PROBE
A red-haired prosecutor’s dismissal months after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s March arrest was the headline of pro-government Sabah daily on Dec. 1, while her testimony and the fact that she was removed from office nine months after his detention have prompted questions.
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.
FORMER HDP MPS RELEASED
As expectations grow for the release of former HDP Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, former HDP MPs Semra Güzel and Hüda Kaya have been released, taking into account the length of their detention.
CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN SHAKES BUSINESS AND POLITICS
A wave of asset seizures and prosecutions has shattered old certainties about which business groups are in favor with the government. The detentions and confiscations – some linked to the corruption probes into CHP municipalities – are raising hairs across the business world with observers uncertain whether it’s a genuine anti-corruption effort, a move to redistribute capital, or a sign of an internal power struggle within the presidency.
MAN AT THE CENTER OF ISTANBUL PROBE BREAKS HIS SILENCE
Akın Gürlek, Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor known for ordering probes and detentions against the opposition CHP, spoke on camera for the first time at the opening of the new judicial year. He said indictments related to the Istanbul Municipality would be ready in September and October.
ERDOĞAN AND BAHÇELİ MEET AS SECOND CLOSE ASSOCIATE OF BAHÇELİ ARRESTED
İsmet Sayhan, the former head of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and a close associate of MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, was arrested in Ankara. Amid speculation that the detention was a sign of cracks in the ruling alliance, Bahçeli and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Bitlis’s Ahlat and Malazgirt on Aug. 25–26, posing for cameras to signal the strength of their alliance in their first meeting since July 10. They even listened to folk songs together.
DETENTION OF TWO LAWYERS IN ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY PROBE HIGHLIGHTS DIFFERENT JUDICIAL TREATMENT
The detention of two lawyers in the same Istanbul Municipality corruption file has highlighted different approaches within the judiciary.
FROM MOBSTERS TO A HITMAN: NEW TWIST IN ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY CASE
The corruption probe into Istanbul and other CHP-run municipalities has taken a new turn, extending beyond politicians, lawyers, mobsters, and journalists to include a hitman. The alleged hitman is said to have acted on the instructions of Selahattin Yılmaz, a figure backed by MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli. The latest detentions targeted several lawyers and legal experts, whose ultra-luxurious offices and lavish lifestyles raised questions, with images suggesting close links to the government.
MHP REPEATS CALL FOR RAPID RESOLUTION OF İMAMOĞLU CASE
Pointing to the long-continued pre-trial detentions over the Istanbul Municipality probe, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli said that investigations into the Istanbul Municipality must be completed quickly to end speculation about bias in the judiciary.
FAMED LAWYER’S ARREST IGNITES AKP INFIGHTING OVER JUDICIARY PRESSURE
The detention of notorious media-savvy lawyer Rezan Epözdemir has exposed faultlines between the Presidency and sidelined AKP members over how the party relates to the judiciary.
TOP COURT RULES MOBILE SIGNAL RECORDS CANNOT JUSTIFY ARREST
Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled that former HDP MP Hüda Kaya was unlawfully arrested and that her rights were violated after she was denied access to her file following her detention over the 2014 Kobani protests.