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FROM MOBSTERS TO A HITMAN: NEW TWIST IN ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY CASE
Deep Dive Aug 21, 2025

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.

Editorial Team
INTERVIEW BETWEEN CELLMATES IN SILIVRI
Media, Internet and Culture Aug 15, 2025

INTERVIEW BETWEEN CELLMATES IN SILIVRI

Journalist Fatih Altaylı, imprisoned in Silivri, conducted an interview through lawyers with CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is also held in the same prison in a different cell.The interview's high point was when İmamoğlu disclosed that he has been learning Kurdish.

Editorial Team
FİDAN UNEASY ABOUT INCREASING SCRUTINY
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Aug 1, 2025

FİDAN UNEASY ABOUT INCREASING SCRUTINY

The debate kicked off following an article by journalist Zeynep Gürcanlı, who asked why Turkey did not join the statement issued by the Hague Group during their meeting in Bogota on July 16. Turkey was among 30 countries at the Bogota conference, yet opted not to sign the statement, which included measures against Israel. Among these measures are the denial of arms to Israel, a ban on ships transporting such arms, and a review of public contracts for possible links to companies that benefit from the Israeli occupation.

Barçın Yinanç
SYMBOL OF FEAR RETURNS
Inside Turkey Jul 25, 2025

SYMBOL OF FEAR RETURNS

One of the prosecutors overseeing the case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has come under fire after CHP Chair Özgür Özel revealed that the prosecutor displays a model of a Beyaz Toros—a car widely associated with disappearances and state violence in the 1990s. İmamoğlu, who has been held at Silivri Prison since his March 19 arrest, recounted the incident during an interview with journalist Ruşen Çakır of Medyascope as he visited the Istanbul Mayor in prison. İmamoğlu said the prosecutor, who took his testimony following the sweeping police operation, placed a symbolic image of the white Renault Toros on his desk and ended the interrogation by saying: “Tomorrow you become president, then you judge us.”

Editorial Team
SÜREÇ
Word of the Week Jul 18, 2025

SÜREÇ

In the great Turkish game of semantics, few words do more political heavy lifting than süreç. Literally “process,” süreç is the bureaucrat’s fig leaf, the politician’s magic wand, and the journalist’s catch-all term when no one knows quite what to call a thing. It conjures movement without a very clear or declared direction, change without rupture, action without accountability. You don’t fail a süreç—you just manage it, drag it, or rebrand it.

Nazlan Ertan
IS THE CAUCASUS SLIPPING THROUGH RUSSIA'S FINGERS?
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Jul 11, 2025

IS THE CAUCASUS SLIPPING THROUGH RUSSIA'S FINGERS?

After the Middle East, Russia is losing its standing in the Caucasus, reads the headline of the article penned by a prominent Turkish journalist who is an expert on Russian issues. The article is referring to press reports that Armenia and Azerbaijan are close to an agreement on the Zangezur corridor which will also facilitate the signing of a permanent peace agreement between the two neighbors.

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FATİH ALTAYLI: WHEN A JOURNALIST IS JAILED
Portrait of the Week Jun 27, 2025

FATİH ALTAYLI: WHEN A JOURNALIST IS JAILED

This week, Fatih Altaylı joined the list of jailed journalists. A veteran of mainstream media, Altaylı had turned to his YouTube channel as the media landscape shifted. He was arrested over remarks made in his most recent broadcast. The charge: “threatening the president.”

Anonymous