Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
As Turkey reels from a major diploma fraud scandal, the main opposition CHP has turned its attention to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, questioning the validity of his academic credentials.
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.
A political feud has erupted between Turkey’s two largest ultranationalist parties—the MHP and its breakaway rival the İYİ Party—over the establishment of a parliamentary commission tasked with preparing for the potential disarmament of the PKK.
With checks and balances eroded and power increasingly centralized, Turkey is facing what may be one of the biggest digital scandals in its history. The online signatures of high-level bureaucrats have been compromised, allowing a criminal network to appoint public servants via the e-State (e-Devlet) system, issue fake diplomas and licenses, forge English proficiency test results and sell properties— raising serious concerns about fraudulent graduates.
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.
You wouldn’t know Ramazan Şaşkın. Likely, no one does beyond his family, friends, and the people in his town. In his 38 years, Ramazan Şaşkın only became news in death. The story goes like this: “While battling a fire in Bursa, a firefighter suffered a heart attack and died.”
Turkey promoted Colonel Gülden Mat Şakir to become the second female brigadier general in Turkish Armed Forces history.
Twelve Turkish soldiers died from gas exposure in a PKK-used cave in northern Iraq on July 6, and two more from excessive fluid loss in Hatay on July 25, but key questions about both incidents remain unanswered.
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.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rejected U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack’s demands to withdraw from Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and Tabqa and surrender weapons, stating they plan to integrate gradually into the Syrian army rather than disarm.
The Turkish Parliament Speaker has moved forward to form a long-anticipated commission as part of the government’s “Terror-Free Turkey” initiative, setting the number of members at 51 and requesting party nominations by July 31, following days of delay and political back-and-forth.
In the most dramatic leadership overhaul at the armed forces pension fund since the 2016 coup attempt, retired Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı—a key figure in thwarting the coup—has been named chairman of the giant fund.