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SEPTEMBER STORM IN CHP: FEARS OF A SPLIT
Capital Currents Sep 5, 2025

SEPTEMBER STORM IN CHP: FEARS OF A SPLIT

September was expected to be tough for the CHP due to ongoing investigations and trials—but no one expected a storm of this magnitude. Having fought operations targeting its municipalities for the past nine months, the CHP is now shaken by the court decision that appointed a “trustee” to its Istanbul congress. CHP members, calling this a “new judicial coup,” saw the move as the extension of operations against municipalities into the party itself. Speculation has grown that a trustee could also be appointed to the party headquarters in the coming days.

Nergis Demirkaya
MAN AT THE CENTER OF ISTANBUL PROBE BREAKS HIS SILENCE
Inside Turkey Sep 5, 2025

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.

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.

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CHP’S RELENTLESS RALLIES FAIL TO SWAY CORRUPTION PROBE
Inside Turkey Aug 1, 2025

CHP’S RELENTLESS RALLIES FAIL TO SWAY CORRUPTION PROBE

Since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention on March 19, the CHP has held 40 rallies despite no upcoming elections, yet failed to shift the political agenda. The party opened İmamoğlu’s first campaign office in its Çankaya stronghold in Ankara, only to see its provincial chair dismissed days later. Though operations against Istanbul Municipality slowed, confessions from businessperson Aziz İhsan Aktaş continue to dominate headlines. A fresh wave of arrests targeted subsidiaries ISFALT and IETT, as well as tender officials.

Editorial Team
OLIVE GROVES OPENED TO MINING DESPITE OUTCRY
Inside Turkey Jul 25, 2025

OLIVE GROVES OPENED TO MINING DESPITE OUTCRY

Parliament passed a legislative package on July 19 that enables mining in olive groves, triggering protests from opposition parties, locals, and environmental groups. The bill, which the AKP says is to address Turkey’s energy needs, passed with 255 votes in favor and 199 against.

Editorial Team
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
TUG OF WAR ON STREETS
Inside Turkey Jul 11, 2025

TUG OF WAR ON STREETS

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a lawsuit against CHP Chair Özgür Özel, seeking 500,000 lira (12,500 USD) in damages for alleged defamation and moral harm stemming from accusations that Erdoğan both enabled and continues to support governmental misconduct.

Editorial Team
COUNTDOWN BEGINS AS PKK PREPARES TO DISARM, BOTH SIDES WARY OF PROVOCATIONS
Capital Currents Jul 4, 2025

COUNTDOWN BEGINS AS PKK PREPARES TO DISARM, BOTH SIDES WARY OF PROVOCATIONS

The process dubbed “Terror-Free Turkey” by the ruling alliance has reached a critical point. The PKK is expected to release its first disarmament footage in the coming days. With such symbolic images looming, both sides are warning of possible provocations, stressing the need to remain vigilant against attempts to derail the process.

Nergis Demirkaya
DEBATE OVER HIJRAH FOR GAZANS
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Apr 18, 2025

DEBATE OVER HIJRAH FOR GAZANS

“We are absolutely against this,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a group of AKP lawmakers about plans to depopulate the Gaza Strip, according to daily Hürriyet.  This statement came amid a debate that broke out over the concept of Hijrah for Gazans.

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