Türkiye on Friday, 18 September 2026

In the investigation into the 2011 death of Kaşif Kozinoğlu at Silivri Prison, retired officials Hasan Ataman Yıldırım and Hasan Atilla Uğur were placed under house arrest on charges of "intentional killing," while then-Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor Ali İşgören and prison prosecutor Necip Doğan were referred to a magistrate's court with a request for arrest on charges of "membership in a criminal organization."…

The Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance lifted the interim injunctions dated September 2, 2025, citing "changed circumstances and conditions." Gürsel Tekin said that since Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had appointed him as provincial chairman, his duty continued in an "appointed" capacity.…

According to Sözcü, Cemil Bayık, a senior figure of the PKK (listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the EU and the US), said in a statement on the process, "We will not lay down arms if Apo is not freed," and argued that the law passed in the Grand National Assembly (TBMM) does not meet their demands.…

According to Sözcü, in the Nizip district of Gaziantep, former AK Party District Chairman Yakup Karakuş was attacked by four people at a café he visited on Monday; suspects were detained and one person was arrested.…

According to Yeniçağ, Presidential Chief Advisor Mehmet Uçum said "Erdoğan's candidacy is settled, there is no obstacle before him," while lawyer Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu argued, citing election law provisions, that running again is not possible.…

According to Nefes, the membership of the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination Sub-Commission, planned to be established under the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process, is being debated; Presidential Chief Advisor Mehmet Uçum said Abdullah Öcalan would "take a role" in the commission.…

In operations spanning 15 provinces, legal proceedings were reportedly launched against 162 suspects, 9 associations and 13 businesses. The EU said it was following the detentions and access blocks "with concern," had "noted" reports that most detainees were released, and reiterated its call for anti-discrimination recommendations to be implemented.…

According to a decree published in the Official Gazette, the police chiefs of 39 provinces were changed; a total of 69 appointments and duty changes were made in the central and provincial organizations, and the current chiefs of 24 provinces were placed at the disposal of the General Directorate of Security.…

The Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) Second Chamber unanimously decided to temporarily suspend Bozova Public Prosecutor Türkşad Kunthan Uçuk from duty for three months. Afterward, the Tekirdağ Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation for "insulting a public official" and issued a detention order.…

According to a BirGün report, MHP Deputy Chairman Mevlüt Karakaya along with provincial and district party officials entered classrooms at Ankara Social Sciences High School; the school principal announced the visit saying "assessments were made on Türkiye's future."…

The board halted investigations into 51 people who joined another party or resigned, under Article 71/15 of the party bylaws; Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer received a definitive expulsion penalty. One source also reported that the files of 9 members of parliament were closed.…

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli issued a written statement for Ahilik Week, describing the ahi tradition as a socio-economic model that shaped Anatolia from the 13th century onward, and calling it "the strongest and most functional guide" against ethical problems.…

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, speaking at a meeting attended by the governors of all 81 provinces and foundation officials, said, "We are obliged to identify our citizens' needs in time and to meet those needs at the right time and place," and asked that foundation performance scorecards be monitored.…

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek met with judges and prosecutors at the Adana Courthouse, saying the 13th Judicial Package is planned to be enacted in October and that a scoring system has been introduced for appointments. Gürlek also met with young people in Adana.…

According to information Cumhuriyet reported as coming from behind-the-scenes sources, the possibility that two İYİ Party lawmakers and one Yeni Parti lawmaker could join AK Party is being discussed for the legislative year starting on October 1. According to the newspaper, 19 lawmakers have moved to AK Party since the 2023 elections.…

Former Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak reportedly arrived in Trabzon with his family to watch the Trabzonspor-Galatasaray match, to be played on Saturday, September 19, from the stands. According to reports, Albayrak will spend the weekend in the city.…

YENİ Party Zonguldak MP Deniz Yavuzyılmaz said the land for the nuclear power plant planned in Sinop was about to be allocated to a foreign country "for a period reaching 100 years." The MPs met with journalists in Sinop and also raised the demand for a press profession law.…

İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, in an interview with Sözcü, said "The final word belongs to the nation" regarding the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process and described claims that a house was being built at İmralı for a convict as a "crime."…

According to the announcement, the KPSS requirement is not sought for the exam application; the hiring is open to graduates of political science, economics and administrative sciences, business administration, economics, communications, and computer and software engineering. The process has three stages consisting of pre-elimination, field knowledge, and an oral exam, with an application fee of 1,100 lira.…

Defence Minister (MSB) Yaşar Güler said at the ceremony at the Turkish Military Academy that they are carrying out the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process "meticulously, without making any concessions on the state's strength or the nation's sensitivities."…

Selahattin Yılmaz and Cem Duman, who had been held in pretrial detention for 13 months over an alleged armed attack plot targeting Aziz İhsan Aktaş, were ordered released after an objection to their detention. Duman was freed; Yılmaz will remain in prison because he is convicted in another case.…

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, speaking at the MHP Provincial Headquarters in Adana, said that for the regulation passed in the Grand National Assembly (TBMM) with 467 votes in favor to take effect, the organization must be dissolved with all its elements, weapons must be fully handed over, this must be determined and confirmed by the National Security Council (MGK), and the decision must be published in the Official Gazette.…

YENİ Party Chairman Özgür Özel said in his speech following a march in Bursa that he had visited jailed Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey in prison that morning, and called on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to "come and let's renew the elections in Bursa."…

The establishment of the Istanbul-based foundation of İYİ Party founding leader Meral Akşener has been completed; according to the Official Gazette, if the foundation is dissolved, its remaining assets will be transferred to the Mehmetçik Foundation.…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at the ceremony "We are in the Champions League of aviation" and noted that passenger numbers on domestic and international flights rose from 34.5 million in 2002 to more than 247 million in 2025. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the 2,820-meter runway is the first built on an east-west axis.…

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that 20 people had been arrested in manipulative trading investigations and that 51 people had been banned from leaving the country. In Istanbul's fresh fruit and vegetable pricing investigation, all 40 suspects referred to court were arrested.…

According to Evrensel, British economist Timothy Ash described on X the presence of certain columnists on the boards of liquidated funds as a "conflict of interest"; the debate continued through Sabah columnists Kerem Alkin and Dilek Güngör.…

Erkan Kilimci, Deputy Chairman and General Manager of Tera Finansal Yatırımlar Holding, resigned of his own accord; Hedef Holding notified the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) that board member Namık Kemal Gökalp resigned due to a legal process against him.…

According to a report by Ekonomim citing the Financial Times, the BIST 100 index fell more than 8% during the week after a portfolio management company announced it could not meet redemption requests on some of its funds.…

Under a decision dated September 18, the banking regulator BDDK revoked the operating license of the Istanbul Türkiye Central Branch of Iran-based Bank Mellat, under paragraph (b) of the first clause of Article 71 of the Banking Law. The decision was published in the Official Gazette.…

According to BirGün's report, producers suffered losses on many products from sunflower to hazelnut due to purchase prices and input costs; the newspaper reported that the state debt arising from the gap between the support envisaged in the Agriculture Law and the support actually paid amounted to approximately 2 trillion lira.…