Tuğçe Yılmaz

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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

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.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

İstanbul police detain trans women for ID checks amid profiling concerns

İstanbul police detain trans women for ID checks amid profiling concerns

"They didn’t fine us, but they documented us. The new law hasn’t even passed yet, but they’re already enforcing it on us," said one trans woman.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Court case reveals security, oil-driven deforestation in Şırnak

Court case reveals security, oil-driven deforestation in Şırnak

Commenting on the findings revealed through the legal process led by the Lawyers for Freedom Association, lawyer İpek Sarıca said, “It is clear that this deforestation is also harming the peace process.”

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Drone-backed police operation targets trans women in Beyoğlu: ‘We’re too afraid to work’

Drone-backed police operation targets trans women in Beyoğlu: ‘We’re too afraid to work’

Last week, a street in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district where trans women live was placed under police blockade, and several homes were raided following drone surveillance.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Prosecutors drop indecency charges against model-activist over 'normal birth' protest

Prosecutors drop indecency charges against model-activist over 'normal birth' protest

“Despite all the pressure, I will continue to fight for women’s rights and to protest under any circumstances," says Melisa Aydınalp.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'PKK disarmament is not an end, but the first step toward an honorable peace'

Q&A WITH TUNCER BAKIRHAN

'PKK disarmament is not an end, but the first step toward an honorable peace'

We spoke with DEM Party Co-Chair Bakırhan about the debates on resolving the Kurdish question, the operations targeting the CHP, and the role of socialists and other segments of society in the process.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'They wandered in the valley for ever'

'They wandered in the valley for ever'

Being LGBTI+ in Turkey is often an existence caught between invisibility and being a target.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Gay politician among 41 detained as police storm LGBTI+ event in İstanbul

Gay politician among 41 detained as police storm LGBTI+ event in İstanbul

İrfan Değirmenci, a well-known journalist and a member of the Workers' Party of Turkey, was delivering a speech when police broke up the event. The detainees were released after spending the night in custody.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Fenerbahçe title celebration faces transphobic smear campaign over drag performance

Fenerbahçe title celebration faces transphobic smear campaign over drag performance

The performance of internationally acclaimed dancer Mecnun Giasar became the focus of an online smear campaign.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

The Büyükada Greek Orphanage to be turned into a hotel

The Büyükada Greek Orphanage to be turned into a hotel

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has decided to convert the Büyükada Greek Orphanage into a hotel. The building is the largest wooden structure in Europe and the second largest in the world, dating back to 1898.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Sezai Temelli: Constitutional debates are incomplete without legal guarantees

Sezai Temelli: Constitutional debates are incomplete without legal guarantees

As part of the peace and democratic society process, we spoke with DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli about the upcoming amendments to the prison release bill and who they would affect.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Why do states assert control over the dead?

Why do states assert control over the dead?

The issue of state control over the dead has resurfaced with the installation of a CCTV at İbrahim Kaypakkaya’s grave and the denial of the body of Indian Maoist leader Basavaraju to his family.

Turkish-Israeli singer targeted online

Turkish-Israeli singer targeted online

Rumors that singer Linet Menaşi served in the Israeli military, along with her Sephardic Jewish identity and dual citizenship, have fueled a campaign of threats and harassment against her.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Report submitted to UN sheds light on decline in LGBTI+ rights in Turkey

Report submitted to UN sheds light on decline in LGBTI+ rights in Turkey

According to the report, if Turkey does not take concrete steps to protect the rights of LGBTI+ persons, it may face pressure from the international community and risk isolation.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

LGBTI+ activist alleges mistreatment in prison

LGBTI+ activist alleges mistreatment in prison

Gökalp, who was jailed over a social media post, has faced harassment from prison staff and inmates, according to her lawyer.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

'We come from a long past, and we are thinking about a long future'

Q&A WITH SIRRI SÜREYYA ÖNDER ON KURDISH PEACE TALKS

'We come from a long past, and we are thinking about a long future'

We spoke with Sırrı Süreyya Önder, one of the key figures in discussions on resolving the Kurdish question, about often-overlooked aspects of peace processes.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

İstanbul Film Festival drops queer films section from 2025 lineup

İstanbul Film Festival drops queer films section from 2025 lineup

LGBTI+ activists have called for a boycott of the festival, while organizers said this year’s edition includes fewer sections but more films, and that the removal of the section does not affect the movies being screened.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

İmamoğlu detention: 'Election alliance with Kurds is not a terror crime,' says MP

İmamoğlu detention: 'Election alliance with Kurds is not a terror crime,' says MP

"This is a coup against politics and democracy. Now, they will try to seize the municipalities as well. The government’s actions show that we are facing an outright coup and a system of political confiscation," says Tanrıkulu.

Tuğçe Yılmaz

Öcalan's message sparks both hope and skepticism

Öcalan's message sparks both hope and skepticism

Many interpreted Öcalan's additional message, which was not included in his letter, as an indication that the legal and political dimensions of the process remained unclear.

28 February 2025

PKK leader Öcalan calls on group to lay down arms in historic statement

PKK leader Öcalan calls on group to lay down arms in historic statement

In a message read out by DEM Party members in İstanbul, the imprisoned PKK leader has called on the group to end its four-decade armed insurgency against Turkey and dissolve itself.

27 February 2025

2024: Ecological struggles in Turkey

2024: Ecological struggles in Turkey

The year 2024 proved a significant turning point at the intersection of the struggles in Turkey against the climate crisis, environmental destruction and for animal rights. Rights’ defenders continued their struggle across a broad spectrum that ranged from the protection of olive groves to forests and from the rights of animals living in the streets to the preservation of water sources.

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