Tuğçe Yılmaz

[email protected]

bianet's LGBTI+ news editor. Prepared the special report titled "The Voices of Those Who Lost Their Loved Ones / 1 May 1977 and Impunity." Holds...

bianet's LGBTI+ news editor. Prepared the special report titled "The Voices of Those Who Lost Their Loved Ones / 1 May 1977 and Impunity." Holds a degree in philosophy from the Faculty of Letters at Ege University. Has shared a home with a dog named "Küba" since 2019.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'Armenia is looking for ways to breathe'

MASİS KÜRKÇÜGİL ON TURKEY-ARMENIA RAPPROACHMENT

'Armenia is looking for ways to breathe'

"Armenia holds no trump card for either regional or international policy. Consequently, rather than pursuing a balancing act, it is seeking ways to breathe. The cost of Russian influence has been heavy," says Kürkçügil.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Three community dogs living in Kadıköy for years taken to shelter

Three community dogs living in Kadıköy for years taken to shelter

The dogs need to be adopted to get out of the shelter.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'A little radiation is good for the bones'

'A little radiation is good for the bones'

The exhibition tracing the impact of the Chernobyl disaster does not only remind one of an environmental catastrophe that remained in the past, but also opens up the permanent effects of invisible dangers on daily life, institutions, and memory for reconsideration.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Mega-mosque project on Kadıköy shoreline met with local concerns over necessity

Mega-mosque project on Kadıköy shoreline met with local concerns over necessity

There are nine mosques within walking distance of the proposed mosque site, which is located on a seaside recreation spot.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Doctor released in İzmir student sexual assault case despite prior abuse claims

Doctor released in İzmir student sexual assault case despite prior abuse claims

The lawyers reported being pressured to withdraw from the case through intimidation and bribe offers while also revealing that the doctor was already under supervision for similar prior allegations.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Kadıköy transport hub mall brings traffic jams to the sidewalk

Kadıköy transport hub mall brings traffic jams to the sidewalk

The open-air shopping center structure built at one of the largest public transport hubs on the Asian side of İstanbul has made the already dense human and vehicle traffic in the area unbearable.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Why is the İstanbul Film Festival facing a boycott?

Why is the İstanbul Film Festival facing a boycott?

What is taking place is not so much an explicit ban as a more subtle practice of drawing boundaries that determines which narratives can enter circulation. After all, what determines the regime of visibility is often precisely these kinds of states of “absence.”

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Yellow Letters: The universal story of a quiet struggle and relationships

Yellow Letters: The universal story of a quiet struggle and relationships

Director İlker Çatak and screenwriters discussed their inspirations behind the film, highlighting how the story was shaped through extensive research and layered storytelling.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

İstanbul Film Festival leaves out queer films section once again

İstanbul Film Festival leaves out queer films section once again

Following a backlash last year, the festival promised to reintroduce the section. However, the category remains absent, and the number of queer films has also been reduced in what critics describe as the festival's alignment with the state’s definition of the "sacred family."

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Feminists and LGBTI+s attend İstanbul Newroz celebrations

Feminists and LGBTI+s attend İstanbul Newroz celebrations

LGBTI+s joined the celebrations accompanied by a security circle formed by DEM Party staff in response to attempted attacks at the venue.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Seven Armenian artists gather in İstanbul 'Meydan-ը' exhibition

Seven Armenian artists gather in İstanbul 'Meydan-ը' exhibition

Organized as part of the Hantibum Festival and shaped around the themes of language, memory, and encounter, the exhibition will be open to visitors until Mar 28 at Depo İstanbul.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'Turkey's peace process will gain momentum after Damascus-SDF agreement'

INTERVIEW WITH MP CENGİZ ÇANDAR

'Turkey's peace process will gain momentum after Damascus-SDF agreement'

"The process we are currently in, whether in terms of examples of international conflict resolution or the history and experience of solution-seeking in Turkey, carries unique characteristics that do not include many lessons applicable here—a sui generis process with its own distinct nature."

9 February 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Forty-seven party members, journalists formally arrested on terror charges

Forty-seven party members, journalists formally arrested on terror charges

Three journalists and two environmental activists are among those arrested.

6 February 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Police detain 96 in raids targeting left-wing groups, media outlets

Police detain 96 in raids targeting left-wing groups, media outlets

MP Çiçek Otlu linked the operation to the targeted groups' support for Syrian Kurds.

3 February 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Gilbert Achcar: Israel refrained from intervening in Syria to avoid irritating Trump

Gilbert Achcar: Israel refrained from intervening in Syria to avoid irritating Trump

Lebanese socialist academic and thinker Gilbert Achcar spoke to bianet about the attacks targeting Syrian Kurds, the emerging “new order” in the Middle East, and the roles of the US, Turkey, and Israel in this new framework.

2 February 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Forty-seven convicted in case targeting lawyers, prisoner rights groups

Forty-seven convicted in case targeting lawyers, prisoner rights groups

A lawyer says that evidence unlawfully fabricated by judges and prosecutors affiliated with the Fetullah Gülen group was used as the basis for convictions when it involved Kurds and Kurdish lawyers.

28 January 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

From applause to accusation: the Kurds and the shifting direction of emotions

From applause to accusation: the Kurds and the shifting direction of emotions

The empire does not demand loyalty but conformity and obedience. When conformity is disrupted, that is, when the cost rises, those who were applauded yesterday can easily be declared “destabilizing.”

27 January 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Nurse detained over hair braiding protest for killed Kurdish woman fighter

Nurse detained over hair braiding protest for killed Kurdish woman fighter

İ.A. faced online abuse after joining the protest in addition to administrative and criminal investigations.

26 January 2026

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Interview: AKP’s Mehmet Metiner rejects war rhetoric, says ‘neither Kurds nor Syria should lose’

Interview: AKP’s Mehmet Metiner rejects war rhetoric, says ‘neither Kurds nor Syria should lose’

Metiner, a former lawmaker and an influential figure in ruling party circles, argues that the recent clashes in Aleppo aim to sabotage the process in Turkey and called on all parties to "avoid using antagonistic language."

Tuğçe Yılmaz

3rd Amed Film Festival concludes with celebration of Kurdish cinema and solidarity

3rd Amed Film Festival concludes with celebration of Kurdish cinema and solidarity

The festival, which featured 84 films, highlighted the resilience of Kurdish cinema in the face of bans and censorship.

15 December 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

The ‘haunting’ face of the climate crisis: Ancient structures emerge from drought

The ‘haunting’ face of the climate crisis: Ancient structures emerge from drought

As drought exposes ancient harbors and settlements in Lake Van and Lake İznik, experts highlight the urgent need for preservation and warn of the risks posed by the rise of “drought tourism.”

24 November 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi 'may visit Turkey soon,' says MP

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi 'may visit Turkey soon,' says MP

Cengiz Çandar, a senior figure in the pro-Kurdish DEM Party who attended a regional forum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region alongside Syrian Kurdish leaders, elaborated on the peace process in Turkey and efforts to integrate the Kurdish-led autonomous administration with the Damascus government.

20 November 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Women, LGBTI+ activists investigated for ‘insulting the state’ over 'Get your hands off my body' slogan

Women, LGBTI+ activists investigated for ‘insulting the state’ over 'Get your hands off my body' slogan

Activists staged a protest against a judicial reform package that reportedly includes provisions that would potentially criminalize LGBTI+s.

19 November 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'Why do chimneys remain standing while everything else is torn down?'

'Why do chimneys remain standing while everything else is torn down?'

We spoke with Eren İnönü about his exhibition Unseen Monuments, the chimneys he photographed, and his reasons for choosing to view the city from this perspective.

30 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Police block İstanbul protest against judicial package targeting LGBTI+ rights

Police block İstanbul protest against judicial package targeting LGBTI+ rights

The package includes provisions directly targeting LGBTI+s.

27 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'Tufan Erhürman's win is not a major problem for Erdoğan'

NORTHERN CYPRUS ELECTIONS

'Tufan Erhürman's win is not a major problem for Erdoğan'

We spoke with academic and Cyprus Left Movement Foreign Affairs Secretary Abdullah Korkmazhan about the election results in Northern Cyprus and their significance for regional politics.

20 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Proposed judicial package introduces criminal penalties targeting LGBTI+ community

Proposed judicial package introduces criminal penalties targeting LGBTI+ community

The package includes provisions that criminalize public expression and promotion of LGBTI+ identities, raise the minimum age for gender reassignment surgeries from 18 to 25, and expand censorship of digital content.

16 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Maraş thermal plant linked to thousands of deaths 'still running without filters'

Maraş thermal plant linked to thousands of deaths 'still running without filters'

An engineer living in Maraş claimed that air pollution and health problems caused by the plant's operations are clearly observable, and that the coal field poses a threat to fertile agricultural land.

15 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz & Vecih Cuzdan

Rare earth element reserves in Turkey: What is known and what remains unknown

Rare earth element reserves in Turkey: What is known and what remains unknown

Claims of a 694-million-ton rare earth element reserve in Eskişehir are being discussed by both experts and opposition politicians. We asked specialists about the possibility of this reserve positioning Turkey as the world’s second-largest producer after China.

10 October 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'No ban can stop Jafar Panahi'

Q&A WITH AMIR ETMINAN

'No ban can stop Jafar Panahi'

We spoke with Amir Etminan, the editor of Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning new film "It Was Just an Accident," about the film, Iranian cinema, and censorship.

18 September 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

One of last green spaces in central Kadıköy put up for residential development

One of last green spaces in central Kadıköy put up for residential development

Staging a protest, residents emphasized that there is no zoning plan in place for the area opened to development.

11 September 2025

Tuğçe Yılmaz

New forestry regulation eases rules for mining, lifts reforestation requirement

New forestry regulation eases rules for mining, lifts reforestation requirement

The regulation is a clear continuation of a recent amendment to the Mining Law facilitating mining operations in agricultural fields and olive groves, says an expert.

1
2
3
4
5
6