Irfan Kovankaya

Writer and media professional with a background in community organizing. Graduated from the University of Florida with a double major in political science and international...

Writer and media professional with a background in community organizing. Graduated from the University of Florida with a double major in political science and international studies with a focus on the Middle East.

İrfan Kovankaya

Behind the classroom: Private school teachers face unpaid work and job insecurity

Behind the classroom: Private school teachers face unpaid work and job insecurity

“You think being a teacher is more than that, it’s teaching, it’s touching people’s lives, the world, the country, any other thing — but at the end of the day you only think about what can I eat cheaper today and how can I pay the rent."

İrfan Kovankaya

Turkey shifts from coal rush to 'coal dilemma,' transferring market risk to miners

Turkey shifts from coal rush to 'coal dilemma,' transferring market risk to miners

The removal of state purchase guarantees in the country's mining sector has shifted financial risks to workers, triggering a wave of labor strikes and union resistance against wage theft and unsafe conditions.

İrfan Kovankaya

Prosfygika hunger strikers continue 'strike to death'

Prosfygika hunger strikers continue 'strike to death'

A proposed state-run social housing program would still remain incompatible with the vision of the squatted community because their structures function independent of the state.

İrfan Kovankaya

How Bilgi students won back their university

How Bilgi students won back their university

One officer almost seemed to pose for my pictures amidst rounds of battering students with his shield.

İrfan Kovankaya

NATO to establish new multicorps in Adana

NATO to establish new multicorps in Adana

“NATO is trying to be a more robust, combat-ready and, more importantly, more deterrent force posture, this is what they’re trying to achieve,” says an expert.

İrfan Kovankaya

Textile workers in Turkey fight poor labor conditions in a declining industry

Textile workers in Turkey fight poor labor conditions in a declining industry

Labor organizers and legal experts highlight a systemic lack of safety and legal protection for employees facing mandatory overtime, mass layoffs, and workplace fatalities in a sector increasingly moving production abroad.

İrfan Kovankaya

Kurdish journalists targeted in new wave of online censorship

Kurdish journalists targeted in new wave of online censorship

“The government doesn't want any dissenting voices outside of its official narrative," says journalist Ruşen Takva.

İrfan Kovankaya

Social media ID verification plan raises mass surveillance concerns

Social media ID verification plan raises mass surveillance concerns

Turkey is poised to introduce ID verification for all social media users and ban social media for children under 16, with both measures implemented through the same mechanism, according to a free expression group.

İrfan Kovankaya

‘Turkey wants neither Israel nor Iran to dominate Middle East’

‘Turkey wants neither Israel nor Iran to dominate Middle East’

Ankara navigates a balancing act as debris from missiles intercepted by NATO systems falls within its borders.

İrfan Kovankaya

EU strips journalist Hüseyin Doğru of livelihood over pro-Palestine reporting

EU strips journalist Hüseyin Doğru of livelihood over pro-Palestine reporting

After Doğru’s bank accounts were frozen, the sanctions were extended to his spouse’s accounts, effectively cutting off the family’s livelihood.

İrfan Kovankaya

Israeli official website blocked in Turkey after revealing continued trade despite sanctions

Israeli official website blocked in Turkey after revealing continued trade despite sanctions

Turkey's Trade Ministry has denied the figures, while pro-Palestinian activists accuse Ankara of failing to strictly implement sanctions and allowing for circumvention.

İrfan Kovankaya

Beyt Filastin brings Palestinian culture to the heart of İstanbul

Beyt Filastin brings Palestinian culture to the heart of İstanbul

A newly established cultural hub serves as a vital sanctuary for the Palestinian diaspora.

İrfan Kovankaya

Ministry appoints 'strike breakers' at İstanbul Italian high school

Ministry appoints 'strike breakers' at İstanbul Italian high school

Local teachers have been on a strike for seven weeks over the gross discrepancy between their and Italian educators' wages.

Irfan Kovankaya

Turkish capital marches for Palestine but trades with Israel

Turkish capital marches for Palestine but trades with Israel

Simply put, if the goal is to actually end genocide, the AKP and those close to it should spend their time legislating instead of parading, at least until Israeli ships stop docking at Turkish ports.

Irfan Kovankaya

'If there weren’t so few LGBTI+ journalists, I’d simply work at a cafe'

'If there weren’t so few LGBTI+ journalists, I’d simply work at a cafe'

Journalist Yusuf Çelik reflects on covering LGBTI+ issues in Turkey amid state pressure and repeated arrests.

22 November 2025