During the conference, Rutte emphasized that the alliance would maintain a deterrent defense posture, noting that NATO's eastern flank, particularly the Baltic and Arctic regions, had been strengthened, while Ukraine also continued to be protected.

Rutte pointed out that this demonstrates a genuine shift in mindset, meaning both a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO.

Rutte praised the advancements in Turkey’s defense industry over the last decade and its role in the alliance, saying, "Your leadership in NATO is important. Your place on the map is important. It is highly significant that [the summit] is being held here in Ankara."

Ankara under lockdown

Meanwhile, the capital has been placed under a virtual lockdown for days.

The governor's office imposed a ban on all public events between Jun 28 and Jul 10. Combined with a six-day administrative leave granted to public personnel, these measures have effectively closed the city center to civilian life.

Human rights defenders and the opposition continue to protest the suppression of civil demonstrations and the detention of more than 200 activists, lawyers, and journalists under the guise of "preventive detention."

NATO denies accreditation to Turkey's 'non-pro-government media' for Ankara summit

25 June 2026

Turkey detains dozens, including journalists, in new wave of raids ahead of NATO summit

5 July 2026

Against the backdrop of this tension reflecting on the streets and in politics, the first steps of a new military transformation dubbed "NATO 3.0" will be planned at the table in the Presidential Complex, a move set to reshape the global system and regional balances.

'Europeans are expected to shoulder most of the burden'

Political scientist and analyst Prof. Dr. Soli Özel evaluated the 36th NATO Summit for bianet. According to Özel, "the primary goal of this summit is to prevent the de-Americanization of NATO."

Noting that there are "very serious" rifts between the US and its European allies, Özel said, "The NATO Secretary General [Mark Rutte], at the risk of facing criticism, tried to cover up these rifts by appeasing Trump. A new European security architecture is taking shape."

Özel pointed out that European countries want to keep the US within the European security system:

What is meant by NATO 3.0 is that Europeans assume responsibility for European security by increasing their spending and defense expenditures. For this reason, the NATO 1.0 and NATO 2.0 versions were defined by the absolute weight of America. From now on, Europeans are expected to shoulder most of the burden.

America has already been saying for 16 years that it has to deal more with other continents, and particularly with China. The profile of the northern countries within NATO itself is rising further. In this period, Turkey will come to the fore due to the Straits and being a neighbor of Russia in the Black Sea. This is why the NATO 3.0 model is being discussed. The Ankara summit will be the beginning of this.

"NATO would have no function in an Iran war. It is already not within its mission description," Özel said, noting, however, that the Gulf countries and the new security system to be established in the region are matters of concern for NATO members as well.

Will Turkey integrate into Europe’s defense system?

Soli Özel stated that the advancement of Turkey's defense industry is being observed by Europeans, adding, "Turkey faces the following problem. Turkey wants to be included in the European Union's 150-billion-dollar defense spending package. However, it is blocked by Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration."

Even the British face difficulties in participating in that program. I assume bilateral cooperation will continue and advance to further stages, but whether Turkey can integrate into the European Union's defense system stands before us as an important issue. US President Trump said 'I have good news.' Rumors circulated that this good news concerns the engines for the KAAN aircraft that Turkey wants to produce. If this happens, Turkey will have the opportunity to bring its weakened air force up to current standards, achieving this with America's contribution to a program it initiated with its own resources.

(FY/VC/VK)

This has left miners with few choices but to organize.   

In June, Özşen Madencilik miners in Edirne locked themselves 1,200 meters underground in a strike over unpaid wages. Doruk Madencilik miners, who launched a strike and march from Edirne to Ankara, also received payments last month after being deprived of earnings for nearly seven months total. 

Edirne miners lock themselves 1,200 meters underground demanding unpaid wages

15 June 2026

Both of these actions were organized by the Independent Mine Workers Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş) who, in contrast to more docile yellow unions, have been at the forefront of more militant resistance, engaging in wildcat strikes, hunger strikes and long-distance marches. Bağımsız Maden-İş organizing specialist Başaran Aksu said that workers have reached the limits of what they can endure. 

“Today, if a worker misses one day of work, there is nothing to eat tomorrow,” said Aksu. “Landlords demand rent, children ask parents for money, parents cannot provide and feel humiliated in front of their own children — this is the reality that gives rise to resistance.”  

Doruk Madencilik miners resume protest after not getting paid despite guarantees

1 June 2026

Dr. Coşku Çelik, a political scientist at Kadir Has University, said that Turkey is transitioning from the “coal rush” of the 2010s to what she calls a “coal dilemma.” 

“The gradual removal of state purchase guarantees, growing competition from cheaper imported coal, and increasing feelings of uncertainty regarding future climate and decarbonization policies — they have all created uncertainty both for companies and for the miners,” she said. 

Turkey ratified the Paris Agreement in 2021 and committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2053. However, there has been no clear, public plan in this effort, making the future of coal even more uncertain. 

“There is a dilemma here because coal extraction and coal expansion continues in Turkey," said Çelik. "New mining licenses are still being granted, new fossil fuel investments continue but at the same time in different parts … there are some shutdowns of the power plants as well,” said Çelik. “This contradiction, this dilemma creates uncertainty for all actors in mining, for the companies uncertainty stems not only from future climate relations, but also ongoing changes in the state support mechanisms.”

“We see both mine closures and mine expansions in Turkey, that’s what I call a coal dilemma,” she said. 

Çelik stressed workers are often the ones who bear the costs of these uncertainties. She believes the recent labor protests are "precisely in response to this transfer of risk from capital to labor.” 

A data-driven fight for nature against mega mines: We are racing against time

28 November 2025

Workers fight for better conditions 

After the 2001 financial crises, Ankara determined the mining sector would be a strategic part of Turkey’s development model. This was pursued through privatization, subsidies and large investment incentives, in addition to state-purchase guarantees. These policies resulted in “production pressure,” where workers were expected to extract as much coal as possible to maximize profits. This directly inspired the poor, unsafe working conditions that, according to Çelik, led to the Soma Mining Disaster of 2014, where 301 workers died. 

In the mines Aksu described a work environment of rigid hierarchy, pressure from leadership, insults, mobbing, subcontracting, flexible and insecure employment and extremely dangerous working conditions — all resulting in what he calls “super-exploitation.” Mining companies often deprive workers of wages, overtime pay and other entitlements for periods of up to eight months. Even workers who have been employed for 10 years start to worry about their severance pay and seniority compensations when financial situations are uncertain, Aksu said. 

Turkey's fast-tracked mining expansion threatens archaeological heritage

25 August 2025

Aksu added that nowadays a miner earning 45,000 lira monthly would receive only around 22,000 TL a month for retirement, in contrast to previously higher pensions. This forces many miners to continue working even after retirement. 

Aksu believes the relationship between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and large corporations allows companies to operate as they wish. 

“In effect, the state and corporations work together in maintaining poor working conditions; their relationship with the political regime is structural,” he added.  

One of the ways this manifests is in inspection protocols. Companies are often notified in a week or even three days before inspections that are mere formalities. 

Olive groves turned into mining fields overnight: 'This is not just an environmental issue'

6 August 2025

“Inspectors are shown only the places management wants them to see — the well-maintained areas,” said Aksu. “Reports are filed, and everyone goes home, the process continues until a mass workplace disaster occurs and exposes these failures.”

According to Aksu, companies view health and occupational safety as an extra cost burden to avoid. It’s these conditions that form the backdrop of increased activity from organized labor.

“Poverty becomes a question not only of material deprivation but also of dignity and honor … These protests are both an objection to the way the country is governed and to the humiliating conditions they face in their workplaces,” Aksu said. 

Lack of industry accountability  

Academic and Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG) researcher Dr. Aslı Odman agrees with Aksu that companies view health and safety measures as a cost to avoid. In turn, this makes payouts from worker deaths a mere expense of doing business. 

Companies use various tactics to reduce worker death payouts as much as possible, at times as little as 1,000 euros. 

“The companies approach the family of the deceased and say, ‘We'll give you some blood money, the penal case is going to last long, just get the blood money and don't follow your case, you're already in a difficult situation and don't make any noise and don't contact anyone.’” 

“And this is what most families have to accept because the one who earns the bread was lost,” Odman said. 

According to 2017 İSİG data, 1,571 miners lost their lives during the ruling Justice and Development Party’s tenure in power. Accountability laws exist on paper, but are often not applied in practice. 

“If you don’t enforce laws they don’t exist … If you make a legal struggle in order to make the law enforced then you remain in impunity,” Odman said. 

“The state protects the employers, the corporations, and also its own employees, its own public functionaries if they are involved, and most of the time they are involved because they don’t inspect,” she added.  

Odman noted that there are only around 900 labor inspectors for about 2 million production entities. 

“This is not because Turkey does not have money for labor inspectors, it is a way of not enforcing occupation health and safety through deliberate negligence and wiping out the area of labor inspection,” she said.  

Both Odman and Çelik stressed that the relationship between mining companies and the government should not be understood as something that only happens between specific companies with close personal relationships to the AKP. It is a structural problem based on aligned interests between the government and capital.  

They also stressed that the struggles of the miners and environmental issues are interconnected, not contradictory. 

From Ida with a thousand springs to Kaz Mountains with a thousand mines

29 December 2025

In Anatolia there are miners marching against unemployment and villagers defending their land and ecological livelihood against mining incursions. However, many of the miners are from communities that experienced this same process a decade ago, Çelik explained. Their lands were also stripped, leaving them few options to secure a livelihood.  

“Many mining regions … have become highly dependent on the mining of coal as a result of the dissolution of their former agrarian structure, decades of dispossession, decades of the erosion of agricultural livelihood have left mining as one of the few available sources of employment for those communities — and this dependence creates an unhealthy power relationship between workers and employers, and this makes workers more vulnerable to the violation of their rights,” Çelik said. 

She said both groups need a public claim which would secure their rights amidst market uncertainties. 

“We are facing a structure shaped by the demands of capitalism — workers, laborers, and oppressed people around the world need to resist and object collectively,” Aksu said. (İK/VK)

On the other hand, while the separation of powers between the President and Congress is established as a basic principle, the Constitution also dictates that in some cases, the powers of the executive and Congress can be exercised jointly. The constitutional articles designed to regulate the use of armed forces are seen as a good example of concurrent powers.

The power struggle between the president and congress

Regarding the use of armed forces, Article II of the Constitution states that "the President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United States and of the militia of the states." Article I, which regulates the powers of Congress, states that "the power to declare war belongs to Congress." 

In general, presidents have interpreted the provision designating them as commander-in-chief of the armed forces to mean they have been granted discretionary power over the use of the military. Although this approach has often met with objections from Congress and some scholars, it has gained a certain acceptance and continuity since World War II.

Meanwhile, disputes over war powers between the President and Congress have been ongoing for years because military operations initiated by presidents often lead to conflict without prior notification to Congress. Despite accusations of constitutional violations, presidents almost always claim that Congress's power to declare war was not violated, maintaining that they only conducted limited-term military operations with specific purposes. In other words, they defend themselves by claiming they acted within the limits of their granted powers.

Throughout the more than 200-year history of the United States, despite the nation engaging in numerous military operations and wars, Congress has only used its war powers 11 times. All other operations or conflicts were carried out without congressional consent. These include multiple interventions in Central America, as well as the Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya operations. Meanwhile, in some cases, the President initiated military operations, and Congress subsequently granted authorization to continue them without formally declaring war. 

The 1973 War Powers Act

In the final years of the Vietnam War, in 1969, President Nixon ordered the bombing of Cambodia without informing Congress, and in 1972, he ordered the mining of North Vietnamese ports to counter the risk of collisions with Soviet and Chinese submarines. He then ordered the heavy bombing of Hanoi, again bypassing Congress, and in 1973 initiated negotiations to end the war. With the death toll approaching 60,000 US soldiers, public pressure mounting, and prior congressional attempts to limit executive decisions failing, Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973 with a two-thirds majority, overriding Nixon's veto. This act was seen and hoped to be a significant step in binding presidential authority.

According to this law, the President is authorized to send armed forces abroad only upon a declaration of war by Congress or in the event of an attack on US territory or the military. It requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and mandates their withdrawal within 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an additional 30-day period.

In fact, this law aimed to compel presidents to work in coordination with Congress when making decisions regarding military operations. However, the attitude of presidents in the post-1973 period has not differed from before, and the desired coordination has not been achieved. Presidents have often chosen to inform Congress by sending a report after an operation has already begun, despite objections. An analysis of these reports indicates that presidents, regardless of the scale of the operations, claim they initiated military operations within executive authority without using the word war, asserting that no constitutional violation occurred.

For example, President Obama argued that the military operations he initiated were not constitutional violations and were instead limited-term, purpose-bound interventions. When Obama decided to participate in NATO airstrikes against Libya in 2011, he argued that prior congressional approval was not necessary, maintaining that the limited deployment was not a war as defined by the Constitution and that the War Powers Act authorized him to conduct military operations for up to 60 days. 

On the other hand, the power of Congress to prevent military operations by limiting or rejecting budget requests has also proved insufficient. A law aimed at defunding an operation can be vetoed by the President, making it difficult to pass the legislation again with a two-thirds majority.

In 2019, Congress made a renewed effort to end the ongoing power struggles with the executive branch, calling for a fundamental reform of the 1973 law. The call stated that "the constitutional balance of power to declare war has largely shifted to the president," emphasizing the need for Congress to reassess its own privileges and responsibilities to restore the balance mandated and enshrined in the Constitution. In short, the effort was aimed at updating the 1973 law, or more accurately, fundamentally reforming it, to restrict unilateral presidential actions. 

On the other hand, Congress is criticized for not always opposing the unilateral use of armed forces by presidents, often remaining silent or failing to take preventive measures, thereby implicitly approving the actions.

President Trump's use of authority

President Trump faces increasing criticism for allegedly violating the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States by continuing to order military attacks against certain countries without congressional authorization or an imminent threat to the US.

During Trump's first term, Congress passed resolutions twice under the War Powers Act: in 2019 to force an end to US involvement in the Saudi war in Yemen, and in 2020 to prevent escalation after the killing of an Iranian general. (H. Con. Res. 83, Congress.gov.)

Meanwhile, more than 100 US-based international law experts, institutions, and NGOs issued a statement emphasizing that the US and Israeli attacks against Iran on Feb 28, 2026, constitute a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. The manner in which the conflict is being conducted and statements made by high-ranking US officials raise serious concerns regarding violations of international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes. 

While criticism and debate surrounding the conflict continue, the House of Representatives' adoption of a resolution aimed at halting further military action by Trump, passed by a vote of 215 to 208 on Jun 3, 2026, is seen as a significant development. However, President Trump's characterization of the vote as "meaningless" and his criticism of the four Republican signatories as "unpatriotic" and "show-offs," saying they "should be ashamed of themselves," reveals his well-known position on executive authority.

Conclusion

In short, alongside the inherent difficulty of amending the US Constitution, it is evident that congressional attempts to curb executive power through legislation and resolutions have failed.

Given the president’s role as commander-in-chief and the relative flexibility granted by the Constitution in foreign policy, presidents will likely continue to exercise war powers without consulting Congress. Consequently, the conflict between the executive and legislative branches is expected to continue in the coming years. (NT/VK)

 He had found it trapped “hidden” behind a cupboard. He gathered his family together, rather large at that, in the living room that evening for a performance on the thing.

They looked on bemused, he hit the strings with venom but only the air moved slightly as his hand came crashing down again and again, only grumbles and moans heard as each time nothing.

Sweet Memed had made a fool of himself. “I think it’s a toy,” Papa Yılmaz said, remembering something. Memed rushed up stairs, slammed the door and cried and cried into his pillow. In the dead of night he wished so hard and then at first faintly then louder a sound and voice came from the wall: Neşet Ertaş, “Yalan Dünya.” He listened, picked up his bağlama and played along. Papa Yılmaz was dreaming of illegal sounds.

Memed woke up fried, no, that’s the wrong word, stirred with that long-lost ingredient emotions. No longer filled with the ONE. Into the now potent explosive mixture he met his close friend Zeynep in the hills. They walked, he then uncontrollably kissed her, nothing. “What are you doing?” She pushed him away, ah and yes, he ran upstairs slammed the door and cried into his pillow. I loved her what were these words and this water from his eyes and this ache inside, was he ill? We know, readers, that he had an incurable illness, love sickness. His pounding heart started to mix with the tender voice gently coming through the walls, Müzeyyen Senar, “Bir Kızıl Goncaya Benzer Dudağın.” Papa Yılmaz woke up startled, what is this water in my eyes.

She reluctantly came round, he opened his heart, the walls began to sing, he kissed her lips and with each one both surrendered to the dreamlike voices around and slept arm in arm, sweet birds of youth.

Now emotions are infectious and though they had been well and truly suppressed under the ONE and with no internet or normal outlets, it was thought they were extinct. Now Papa Yılmaz was getting hot and bothered, he was angry though he didn’t know it. He picked up a pen, the paper before him. Then through the wall he heard a voice guiding his words: Nazım Hikmet. The ink flowed, damning the mining company on his doorstep. 

The whole mood of the village was changing, Memed and papa Yılmaz had set it on fire. The noise of kissing filled the air like birds singing. Music, dance, classic films with tears falling like waterfalls. 

Anger burst out of the tea rooms as Yılmaz and his friends plunged all the mining equipment down the hill, stripped the managers naked, as they too ran down the hill.

The ONE heard this and cleansed the village. Three were taken away and the rest forgot the sounds, and slipped back into endless praise of the ONE. 

One night the village started smelling of sweet flowers and sounds were drifting towards the graveyard. Memed was lying there he was playing the bağlama with Neşet Ertaş by his side, he then kissed Zeynep with the longing songs of Müzeyyen Senar piercing the air.

The villagers looked at each other and in unison anger and in tears defiantly stated: “We are One and HE is no one.”

The operations took place in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Kocaeli, Antalya, Dersim, Urfa, Çanakkale, and Bursa. Those detained include academics, lawyers, law students, association members, political party representatives, and trade unionists.

Journalists are among the detained. Police detained bianet contributor Abbas Vural, T24 editor Buse Söğütlü, and OdaTV editor Ceren Erdoğdu during morning raids on their homes.

Erdoğdu recently reported on a petition launched by the "No to NATO Initiative," formed by Muslims against the bloc.

Over 200 detained in Ankara raids ahead of NATO summit

23 June 2026

Lawyers detained

The Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) announced that its İstanbul branch head, lawyer Ezgi Önalan, and member Yunusemre Işık were detained. The group said many clients of its lawyers were also detained in simultaneous operations.

"End the political operations that promise a rose garden without thorns to NATO," the association stated.

Law students Boran Işıldak and Burhan Can were detained in Ankara. The ÇHD stated the detentions were based on work conducted prior to the NATO summit and demanded their release.

Socialist groups targeted

In Antalya, police raided homes and detained at least 35 people. The detainees include 11 members of the People's Houses (Halkevleri) group, among them central executive board member Gürkan Gülseven, Antalya branch head Gülcan Şahin, and the entire local branch management.

Members of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) Antalya provincial organization, Labor Youth, and the Kaldıraç Movement were also taken into custody. Additionally, Private Sector Teachers' Union central executive board member Yiğit Pertev, Antalya provincial spokesperson Diğde Simay Pertev, and provincial representative Mehmet Akif Karaca were detained in the province.

In Ankara's Tuzluçayır neighborhood, police raided a branch office of the Anatolia Culture and Researc Association (AKA-DER) on the evening prior to the morning operations, detaining at least nine people.

METU students ordered to evacuate dormitories ahead of NATO summit

3 July 2026

Police also detained at least six people from Antakya and three from Adana from the Kaldıraç movement, alongside at least five people traveling from İzmir to Ankara.

Raids in Kocaeli resulted in the detention of at least six people, including members and executives of the Labor Party (EMEP) and members of Kaldıraç.

In Urfa, members of EMEP, TİP, and the Socialist Laborers Party (SEP) were taken into custody. Detentions in Çanakkale and Bursa involved members of Revolutionary Youth Associations and employees and readers of the Devrimci Hareket magazine.

In İstanbul, raids targeted Revolutionary Youth Associations and the Revolutionary Movement, while the Friendship and Culture Association reported multiple detentions of its members in both İstanbul and İzmir. Members of Partizan, BDSP, SMİ, and SODAP were also detained in İzmir, while readers of Partizan were targeted in Dersim.

75-year-old retired teacher among arrested in crackdown ahead of Ankara NATO summit

1 July 2026

Academic and writer taken into custody

Separately, academic Sibel Özbudun and writer Temel Demirer were detained in İstanbul as part of an investigation conducted by the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding social media posts. Both individuals are expected to be transferred to Muğla.

Crackdown ahead of NATO summit

Official authorities have not yet released a statement regarding the detentions. In a previous crackdown on Jun 23-24, authorities detained over 220 people, including journalists, academics, environmental activists, and students, on terrorism charges. Courts later formally arrested 103 of those individuals.

Authorities have not explicitly linked either wave of crackdowns to the upcoming alliance meeting.

The upcoming NATO summit will take place at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, bringing together officials from 32 countries. Around 40,000 security personnel will be deployed during the event, and strict traffic restrictions will be implemented, completely prohibiting access to the summit venue and areas hosting foreign leaders.

Road preparation along convoy routes has included painting house facades and erecting billboards focused on NATO and the Turkish defense industry, drawing public criticism for restricting movement and presenting a superficial display for visiting dignitaries.

Ankara taxis to offer Turkish delight to foreign customers during NATO summit

30 June 2026

(HA/VK)

Bruttin delivers a sobering assessment of the global media landscape, calling for solidarity among press freedom defenders to counter a systemic, international offensive against public interest journalism. He also draws a sharp distinction between the unregulated concept of "free speech" championed by tech oligarchs and the rigorous, fact-based necessity of a "free press."

Bruttin answered our questions at bianet’s office in İstanbul.

‘If press freedom predators align, defenders should also align’

How does Turkey look from outside?

The RSF World Press Freedom Index gives a picture of where Turkey stands. And the picture is really bleak because Turkey is ranked in 163rd in 2026. It was at the 99th position back in 2002. So it's a sharp decline. Obviously, we owe that to the Erdoğan government and the policies that have been put in place. The WordPress Freedom Index measures the political environment, but also the legal context, the economy of the media, the safety and the social support or social demand to journalism. And I would say that on these five indicators, the situation is really among the worst in the world. So we're very concerned and we consider that Turkey could become really a priority in the coming years.

What do you think about a country neighboring the European Union and a candidate country being one of the worst countries in terms of freedom of expression?

In general, Europe is doing better than the rest of the world in terms of press freedom. But the countries which are not members of the European Union are worse ranked than countries within the EU. And within the EU, we see a decline of press freedom as well. There have been killing of journalists within the EU. The Charlie Hebdo massacre, Giorgio Caraibas in Greece. We've seen Daphne Kovara Ganica in Malta or Jan Kusak in Slovakia. So I would say that the perspective of the World Press Freedom Index shows that there are global trends and unfortunately, we see a trend downwards. And Turkey to some extent is also a matrix of repressive policies that are being conducted within the EU or even in the United States. I mean, like the hostile takeover of media, which includes also using the brands of respected media like Cumhuriyet or other media that have been taken over and changed the editorial lines. We see also the way political leaders can discredit and smear journalists. All of that has been tested in Turkey way before it was implemented in some other countries. So I wish other journalists and media had paid more attention to what happened to Turkey in the early 2010s.

Do you think they are actively looking at Turkey and copying its playbook to curb free expression? Because sometimes it feels like that.

It feels like that. And to be honest, we know that repressive regimes talks to each other. China talks to Russia about how to repress journalists. Latin American dictators get together in order to do the same. This is why we need solidarity among the media community globally. If press freedom predators align, we should align as press freedom defenders. And too often there is rivalry in the sector and we were lacking this common feeling, which would be to the benefit of the cause.

Turkish government officials in the past criticized RSF reports for being politically biased. What is your answer to this? 

Well, I think the Turkish government is politically biased. No, the RSF methodology is obviously very clear. And on top of that, if they want to do better, we can explain. Don't arrest journalists. Don't encourage the hostile takeover of media. Don't discredit journalists. If you do that, mathematically Turkey is going to go up in the index in the future. Don't blame the messenger. That's what I would like to say to the government: Just put in place policies that are compliant with what's expected of Turkey according to, for example, the European Convention of Human Rights.

‘Journalism is dying’

How do you see the difficulty of defending press freedom today compared to the past?

I think there has been a shift. When RSF was created back in 1985, journalists were getting killed and they're still getting killed. Israel is killing a lot of journalists and the Russian Federation is killing journalists in Ukraine as well. But today, there is not only that, but also journalism dying. There is a vision where no journalist is killed in a country, but all the media scene is controlled by a certain narrative that favors the government. And this is something we see to some extent in Turkey, and in other countries around the world. So we're concerned with the disappearance of public interest journalism as a driving force in public debate. That is what we're concerned with today. And that is something that didn’t exist 40 years ago.

So Israel has killed so many journalists and is still at the 116th place in the RSF index.

The index doesn't rank governments, it ranks countries. So if Israel kills journalists in Gaza, it is unfortunately Palestine that becomes a dangerous territory to be in. So we know that sometimes it is shocking that Palestine as a country that seems to bear the mark of the killings. But that's the reality. It's become one of the most dangerous territories on earth to be in as a journalist. But we take also into account the fact that people want to get Israel and other countries that are committing crimes against journalists down the index. So there are now questions in the index, which were included a few years ago, that affect countries that kill journalists. If Russia or Israel kills journalists, that will bring the grade of that country down as well. So it works both ways, but not to the same extent.

How all of these have changed the RSF's views on the safety of journalists?

For a long time we honestly thought that there was a decline of killing of journalists until the October 7th and the retaliatory war engaged by Israel. And it's very shocking to me even as a person to see the lack of solidarity among the profession globally and to see the lack of proper response from international stakeholders and governments that could put pressure on Israel. They didn't do anything. We've tried and really did everything we could in 2024 to get everybody to act. It was impossible to get consensus among the media industry globally. We had to wait until August 2025 and the killings of Anas Al Sharif and the bombing of the hospital, two bombings in less than a week, time of difference to manage to get about 500 newspapers at the same time publishing a statement in favor of the journalists in Gaza on September 1, 2025. To me, it's a disaster that it took so long for people to acknowledge that. Yes, there was a smear campaigntriggered by Israel. Also there were like some people that I don't think RSF should defend, which are like doing propaganda for Hamas. But we were not talking about that. We're talking about journalists doing their job and being assassinated. 

The minute we managed to launch the campaign in September 1, 2025, the smear campaign almost disappeared. It just took so long to get everybody together. And then we just, I think, won to some extent. Israel is still continuing to shame one journalist here or there, but in general they have stopped the large scale shaming campaigns against journalism.

Maybe we failed to some extent as an organization, maybe I think it's also our responsibility. But the global media community failed even more. And frankly, I spent hours on the phone with editors in chief around the world saying ‘You should be siding with Palestinian journalists.’ And they were reluctant to engage.

When I work on the war in Ukraine, nobody asked me if journalists were really journalists. Maybe it's because they're white or European or whatever. But when working on Gaza, I was constantly asked in every interview if RSF was really talking about actual journalists or propaganda people. So the smear campaign of Israel has integrated into the media content to an unprecedented scale. I've learned lessons from that. And I hope media will not get fooled in the future. I hope. 

Do you think safe spaces for journalists are diminishing around the world and how concerned are you about this?

There is a risk that we land with double standards. RSF, for example, has been very vocal about what was happening in Turkey, but the same things were happening in Western democracies. And we were silent in the 1990s, we were silent in the early 2000s. So there has been a shift in the organization's policies to really have a look seriously at what was going on within Western Europe. So the safe space for journalists never existed. But it's true that if ever there was some, it's shrinking. The basis of RSF is really showing what's happening, showing the gravity of what's happening, trying to find solutions and helping out journalists as much as possible. So that's a way maybe to restore the possibilities for some journalists to continue doing their work.

‘Free expression without shared reality is a farce’

What do you think about the direction the world is heading right now?

This year’s World Press Freedom Index year shows that it has never been that bad in a quarter of a century. The measure is the lowest ever in the history of RSF. Also by the fact that there is a global offensive against journalism. We have not solved violence against journalists. We have not solved the digital chaos we are in. We have the rise of authoritarian political figures that assault verbally journalists all the time. You got an economy of the media that is really broken, and there is distrust of the public, and these five crises are all intertwined. So we are already at the tipping point. And I think one of the reasons I'm really pessimistic is the fact that the United States of America is playing a very dangerous role with the way they talk about free speech, but they don't talk about a free press. And free speech, according to Donald Trump and his friends, is just a way to deregulate social media, to defund the media, to assault journalists to do whatever it takes to get down in terms of journalism. And the United States is declining super fast.

Where do you put the so-called tech oligarchs and their defense of free speech over free press in this picture? 

Freedom of the press is very often perceived as a freedom from government, but in fact, if you let the market decide by itself, there will be no free press. So you need to have some safeguards in order to guarantee the existence of a free press. And we have not had public policies that address the challenges of the digital space, that fix the economy of the media, that safeguard journalism from unhealthy legislation or national security legislation. So that's what you get when you don't have a framework that favors journalism.

We think press freedom is an agency in the public interest, meaning newsrooms should be able to collect and disseminate facts, analysis, and commentary. But facts are the most important because the public has the right to know. Freedom of expression, even in international conventions, is more about the ability to convey your opinion, whoever you are. So they are two different things. What journalists do is professional work. It is a method. It is an ability to fact-check and to be held accountable by a court or by people who complain. That is not the same as freedom of expression as defined in international texts. So we need to demonstrate the value of a free press once again. People can talk about many things, and that is good, but it is more useful to have a conversation based on facts. It becomes a farce if you can say whatever you want but there is no shared reality and no evidence of what is actually happening.

What are your thoughts on the impact of AI and social media on journalism?

The economy of the media has been totally disturbed by the emergence of social media news aggregators and search engines, as well as the way we access news. 

It's both a matter of sustainability and discoverability. RSF champions two ideas that there should be a must-carry provision for any tech companies to incorporate news content. Also that there should be a due prominence of newsworthy sources. For example, if you are JTI-compliant like bianet, you should get a bonus in the algorithm and be boosted. Not every voice is equal because it's a rigged algorithm in itself. We know for sure that X, for example, prefers controversy. What is the chance of journalism to emerge in that context? 

We need to have bold public policies that recognize the added value of journalism. If not, people will always favor lies. They will always prefer strong opinions or shitty videos or cat videos. I love cat videos but you need also to make sure that journalism remains accessible and available. In Canada and Australia for example, there is no news content on the Meta tools it has been totally disappearing. They're not censored, but like Meta doesn't want to to get them into their products.

Hungary and Turkey

How do you think the decline in Western democracies will reflect on Turkey and similar countries?

The relationship between the press and democracy is not an easy one. There has been the birth of the professional press in the 19th century and the 20th century in most countries, including Turkey, because there was a move towards the vote of everyone. So the relationship between voting and having access to the press is an historical one. And what we're seeing now is that there are political forces, including Mr. Erdoğan's, which try to say that democracy is just the election. But what is an election worth if before you do not have a public debate, and if after, the majority overrules everything? So you need to have both a free press before and rule of law afterwards and a fair election. But what we are seeing now is that including in Western democracies, democracies is being reduced to the election that is not fair. 

And there are so many ways to rig an election or to over-abuse the result of an election to serve your needs as a political force that we need to wake up. The example of Hungary is important. The example of Turkey is important. There are illiberal democracies, democracies that just focus too much on election. Election is number one, obviously. But really it goes hand in hand with the free press and rule of law.

So do you think the situation in Hungary has changed after the fall of Orban or will it continue to be an illiberal democracy?

Well, it's too early to say. They just got elected in April. I met the new team of the leaders. What we know is that there is a risk that they do exactly the same thing as Orban was doing. But I think there is also a possibility that they understand that they have to abide by the international standards. 

Some of the statements made by Prime Minister Magyar about the public service media and closing it down were not compliant with the European Media Freedom Act. RSF has said that to Magyar. We have also said that to European Commission. And I think Magyar is fastly changing his mind because he wants to restore its relationship with the EU. So he might as well not antagonize the EU that early on by just breaking the the state media. But we acknowledge and we are in agreement with Magyar about the fact that there is a problem with the the state media. But how do you rebuild the public service media? It's a difficult question and it can't be done in one night by just closing down the media. 

NATO summit and Turkey’s ‘unique’ methods 

Next week, there will be a NATO summit in Ankara. Ahead of it, many people, including a journalist, were detained in a “terrorism” crackdown. On top of that, NATO has denied accreditation to all journalists except for those from pro-government and state media. What do you think about this situation?

We condemn this practice. We think it's a shame that NATO doesn't open up to a larger diversity of outlets and by doing that obeys in fact, Erdoğan’s policies in general. 

What is very specific about the Erdoğan government is this movement of preventive arrests and also bringing people to jail, to court, releasing them, keeping them on bail, under control. This has been implemented during the Erdoğan rule and we don't see that much around the world actually. It makes the monitoring very difficult and it gives a sense of constant threat on journalists all the time. And it's a problem for freedom of the press. It's also a human problem and I don't want to underestimate that. For example, our representative has been in trial for 10 years and every time there are postponements. So the weaponization of empty legal cases is just enough to put pressure on people.

The jailing of journalists is what is talked about the most abroad, but this type of legal harassment also puts a massive strain on journalists’ lives, which is what we are trying to monitor and expose in our work.

That's cruel. I think it's nasty.

How do you compare Turkey today to a decade ago?

Well, Taksim Square doesn't look the same. The mosque is new, right? And there weren't fences around the monument like there are now. I haven't been back to Gezi Park yet, but I imagine it has changed as well.

That said, it is also important to praise the resilience of journalists in Turkey. You and so many others are doing a great job maintaining the media lifeline. In the last ten years, Erdoğan’s grip has tightened, and I think the self-censorship of journalists has increased as well

Turkey is really important in my life because I started at RSF in 2014 and just after there was a series of arrests of journalists in Turkey. And I was in charge of the campaigning for Can Dündar and Erdem Gül. And also there were French journalists who got arrested. Then there was Erol Önderoğlu’s arrest. Then there was the 2016 coup. So in my life as an activist, Turkey is the beginning. And I didn't want to go to Turkey afterwards because it reminded me so much of all that era. This is the first time I'm back in 10 years and I'm very happy to be there. (VK/HA)

Göktaş had been performing the show titled "Ölü Deniz" for three years, and it came under the spotlight when he released his latest performance on YouTube on Jun 25. The video was viewed nearly 9 million times in a week, and clips from the performance went viral across social media platforms, accumulating millions of views, eventually leading to a criminal investigation against the comedian.

Göktaş was taken into custody yesterday at İstanbul Airport upon his return from abroad and taken to the İstanbul Security Directorate, where he was questioned by police and spent the night. 

Erdoğan jokes

After procedures at the police headquarters, Göktaş was sent to the İstanbul Courthouse to be questioned by a prosecutor. During the testimony, he was accompanied by three lawyers.

The prosecutor quoted various remarks made by Göktaş during the show and asked what he meant by the statements in question.

Quote: "I am going to say something a bit unpleasant, I have never liked Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. There is not even a single minute in my life where, you know, I agree with his views, but he is a charismatic leader. He is tall, how does he always trim his mustache to the exact same level ... But the unpleasant part is coming now; for better or worse, we have a journey together. I was born in 1994, he became the mayor of İstanbul in 1994, and we witnessed all the important stages of his life, all the progress in his career. He is like my neighbor, a grumpy neighbor I do not like. But you still wonder about your neighbor's life, what he did today, what is in his trash, and so on. His transition from a shy dictator to a dictator at peace with his own identity..."

Response: "The word dictator is a political observation and a frequently discussed topic in public; I have no intent to insult or humiliate in this statement."

Quote: "You see, it is not just well-meaning people who watch those personal development videos on the internet; these guys watch them too. Clearly, one day, a very good video came along and he said, 'Yeah, why have you been restricting yourself for 30 years? Social pressure, texts written by people, the constitution and all... Just be yourself, be yourself, break out of your shell, Tayyip!'"

Response: "It is a humorous joke regarding the idea that the president watches personal development videos just like all of us. I do not think there is any humiliation or insult in this statement."

Quote: "Maybe he is going to therapy. He definitely is. He has the money, he has the means. I am a psychology graduate myself. One cannot help but imagine, 'if only I could be Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's therapist...' The pay must be great. It is obvious it would last for years. There must be fringe benefits and all, a job just for me. But they would never let me have it, they must have hired one of the relatives so the money stays in the family; Albayrak, Bayraktar, or Albayraktar if a new version came out.

"It is certain he did not have a very good therapy process though. There is only one image where the man laughs genuinely, and that was at a cemetery. It is obvious things are not going very well." 

Response: "Since I am a psychology graduate and I think the president has a stressful job, it is a humorous piece about how I could be his therapist; there is no intent to humiliate or insult."

Quran question

Quote: "In fact, the fourth book [Quran] is my favorite. I guess if İmamoğlu read it, like many of us, he must have liked it too. It is by far the best among the four books, in my opinion, by far the best. First of all, there is a very ambitious statement. Saying this is the last book in the 600s, when new books were just starting to come out anyway. It is also very hard for the author, if a new idea comes to mind, like 'But we said this is the last book...'"

Response: "When people see me, they think I am someone detached from religion, but I declared that I love the fourth book, just as you read to me. In this statement, my aim was to make a theological joke about the fourth book being the last book. I have no intent to humiliate. I have been making the same joke, word for word, in standup shows in different regions of the country for three years. I have performed this joke for about 100,000 people, but I have not seen anyone offended by it. I have no intent or purpose to degrade religious values."

Burkini joke

Quote: "I am going to let all the stress of the year wash away into the sea. Right when I was thinking that, a few people came out of the sea. Their hair cannot be seen, a black outfit covering their entire bodies... I am not going to interfere with who enters the sea in what clothing, but I have not been able to get used to this sight for years. I hate those fucking divers, really really hate them! Do not applaud in vain, now we know who you are! You failed the test, we lived up to the name 'Harbiye.' Deniz Baykal is not dead, he lives in your subconscious.

"I love describing this part, because when I start explaining, the majority of the audience, who are sweet people, get extremely tense, 'No no no no no, Deniz you are not someone like that, no no no,' but a few people's eyes start to light up, 'Yeah right, why has no one talked about this for 20 years, speak up boy!'"

Response: "Here, I am criticizing the prejudice shown against people who enter the sea wearing a burkini; in fact, if you examine the entire statement, I am criticizing the people who are prejudiced against those entering the sea wearing a burkini. By saying 'fucking divers' in the statement, I subvert the audience's expectations. At the beginning of the statement, the audience thinks I am going to talk about people entering the sea wearing a burkini, but I shift the topic to divers, confronting the audience with their own prejudice and putting on a critical performance. Indeed, in the continuation of the statement, by saying 'you failed the Harbiye test,' I think I made it clear that my intention was to expose the audience's prejudice."

After taking his testimony, the prosecutor's office referred Göktaş to a peace judgeship with a request for his formal arrest. The court then ruled for Göktaş's arrest and sent him to prison, citing the suspicion of "fleeing abroad" and "tampering with evidence." (HA/VK)

The university administration sent an email to students yesterday, citing a governor's office decision that restricts personnel and vehicle entry to the campus between July 6 and July 12. Students were given until July 4 at 10.00 am to vacate their rooms, as accommodation services will be suspended during those dates.

Ankara court remands over 100 including academic, journalist ahead of NATO summit

26 June 2026

The decision has prompted criticism among students who must remain in Ankara during the summer for internships or employment and lack alternative housing options. Following the announcement, students held meetings in the dormitories and collectively decided not to vacate the premises, Evrensel reported.

Women students speaking at a meeting in Dormitory 5 emphasized that they spend most of their days at internships or workplaces. Being given such a short time to pack their belongings and leave creates severe difficulties, they noted.

The students also noted that no alternative accommodation was provided, adding that planned closures of the airport and certain roads for security reasons make evacuating on such short notice practically impossible.

Students are preparing to submit individual petitions to the administration declaring their intent to remain in the dormitories. They also announced the launch of a petition open to all METU students.

In a joint statement, the students emphasized that they will not surrender their right to housing:

"What will those of us who stay in dormitories to do internships or work do? Where will we go after leaving our dormitory within a single day when no place to stay has been provided for us? How will this grievance be resolved? Is NATO's whim more valuable than the students' right to housing? Will students who need to stay in Ankara and have no 'valid excuse' be left on the street?"

Ankara taxis to offer Turkish delight to foreign customers during NATO summit

30 June 2026

(EMK/VK)

The lawyers, including Aydın Bar Association Vice Chair Ayşe Öğünçlü, have been summoned to give statements.

The bar association condemned the investigation, stating that legal assistance and human rights advocacy cannot be treated as criminal acts. It said the lawyers were at the march to observe potential rights violations, provide legal support to citizens, and monitor police actions.

The bar association described the investigation as the product of an "unacceptable mentality" that criminalizes the work of lawyers, the duty of bar associations to protect human rights, and the legal support provided to citizens.

Trans activists pop up in Kadıköy after decoy parade draws police to Taksim

21 June 2026

"It is not a crime for a lawyer to be present where a rights violation is possible," the statement said. "It is not a crime for a lawyer to provide legal support to a citizen. It is not a crime for a lawyer to observe police actions. It is not a crime for bar associations to defend fundamental rights and freedoms."

The bar emphasized that the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration is constitutionally guaranteed and that the presence of lawyers at such events is a requirement of the right to defense.

"The defense has not been silenced, and it will not be silenced," the statement concluded.

İstanbul pride march held in Kadıköy despite obstacles

29 June 2026

LGBTI+ rights group's Instagram account banned as censorship continues during Pride Month

30 June 2026

(TY/VK)

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.99% month-on-month in June. The inflation rate reached 17.76% compared to December, while the 12-month average inflation rate, which is taken as the basis for rent increases, stood at 32.03%.

Food inflation remains high

The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels category saw the highest annual price increase among major spending groups at 45.14%, contributing 5.92%age points to annual inflation. On a monthly basis, this category climbed 2.30%, contributing 0.27 points to the monthly shift.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 35.45% annually, adding 8.61 points, while transportation prices rose 31.15%, adding 5.19 points. The prices increased 0.17% monthly, contributing 0.04 points. Annual food inflation was 34.86% last month. 

Turkey ranks fourth globally in food inflation

15 May 2026

In contrast, transportation costs decreased by 0.05%, reducing monthly inflation by 0.01 points. Out of 174 subcategories covered in the index, prices decreased in 26, remained unchanged in 10, and increased in 138.

Pension adjustments

The announcement of the June figures also finalized the pension hike rates for the Jul-Dec 2026 period.

Retirees will receive a 17.76% increase, matching the inflation rate recorded in the first six months of the year. Retired civil servants will receive a 13.52% raise, which includes an inflation difference adjustment because the six-month inflation exceeded the 11% collective bargaining agreement increase. 

Pensioner poverty in Turkey: 9 out of 10 say need to work to stay afloat

12 May 2026

Any additional change to the lowest pension amount will require a separate legislative amendment. 

Before the raise, the lowest pension stood at 20,000 liras (~427 US dollars), a baseline received by more than 4 million retirees out of over 12 million in the country.

For context, this falls significantly short of the hunger threshold calculated by the Türk-İş labor union federation, which estimated the minimum monthly food expenditure for a family of four to maintain a healthy diet at over 47,000 liras in May. (HA/VK)

According to reports in the pro-government media the ruling bloc is working on a regulation conditioned upon the verification of the disarmament and dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Meanwhile, the DEM Party demands comprehensive legislation that will serve as the foundation for subsequent legal changes.

The DEM Party has warned that backstage political rumors could harm the peace process, specifically regarding the categorization of individuals, the limited scope of the law, and the exclusion of certain leadership figures like Abdullah Öcalan. However, party officials emphasized that these reports should not be credited, as they have not yet seen an official draft.

What does pro-government media say?

Türkiye newspaper reported on Jun 28 that the government wants the law to be passed before parliament goes on recess. However, its implementation will depend on the condition that the PKK lay down its arms.

According to the report that quoted high-level sources from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will prepare a verification report regarding the situation on the ground and present it to the National Security Council (MGK), and the MGK will then issue a confirmation decision stating that the PKK has been dissolved and weapons have been laid down.

"The logic of the law is this: 'Dissolve the organization, lay down weapons, and let us verify this,' then benefit from the law," the sources were quoted as saying. "There will be no implementation before the verification mechanism says 'ok' first. In our view, the satisfactory rate for matters such as laying down weapons and evacuating caves must be at least 80 percent."

'All mothers’ tears are the same color': Peace Mothers reflect on PKK weapon-burning ceremony

16 July 2025

A temporary law

Answering questions from journalists after a Jun 30 meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Masud Gharahkhani, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş touched upon the issue:

"The law to be enacted is a standalone and temporary law. In other words, it is a temporary law that will cover members of the dissolved organization. It will be enacted only once. Those who come within a specified period will benefit from this. The door will be closed for those who do not come. We hope to establish such a mechanism.

"I hope that the legal preparations will be completed in a very short time and brought first to the commissions and then to the General Assembly. It is essential to conclude a beneficial task that has begun in the most beneficial way and in the shortest time possible. From now on, it is imperative for Turkey to take this step by planning well, without stalling, delaying, or neglecting even the slightest detail."

According to a Jul 1 report by BBC Türkçe, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also instructed his party members during weekend to ensure that the law is passed before parliament goes on recess.

Erdoğan says Kurdish peace framework will soon arrive in parliament

24 June 2026

'It cannot be left until autumn'

Speaking on the same day at his party's parliamentary group meeting, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan stated that the framework law should not be kept narrow, should not be vague, and must inspire confidence among the public.

He noted that the issue is not merely a technical regulation consisting of a few articles, but the binding of the will of the peoples of Turkey to live together into law:

"One of the biggest opportunities in Turkey's political history stands before us. The Peace and Democratic Society Process is almost about to enter its second year. Certain steps were taken during this process, credit must be given.

"Weapons were destroyed, a commission was established in parliament. The commission visited İmralı and kept its report. We do not look down on these or ignore them. On the contrary, we want to firmly build this democratic society and peace process upon these steps.

"It is not an easy task to move a 100-year-old issue from the ground of violence to the ground of law. This law must be written with courage and in a manner suitable for the magnitude of this important task. Beneficial deeds should be rushed. For this reason, the framework law cannot be postponed. It cannot be left until autumn. The framework law must now come to parliament without delay, without fear, and with a clear content that inspires confidence."

Study: Youth believe in peace process but do not feel included

23 June 2026

DEM concerns about fait accompli

In a statement to Yeni Özgür Politika on Jun 29 regarding the law in question, DEM Party Deputy Co-Chair Tayip Temel said, "We hope the government will not produce a unilateral text and say 'take this and sign it.'"

Temel added that they do not yet have information about the content of the law:

"This law must not be brought about as a fait accompli without being negotiated and without considering the sensitivities of the parties. We hope that the government will not produce a unilateral text and say 'take this and sign it' during this process.

"If this happens, the spirit of negotiation will be damaged. Why? Because this issue has been an open wound of this country for 100 years. A regulation that will close such a wound can only become permanent with a text produced by the parties through common sense and shared will.

"Mr. Öcalan used the term 'root law' for the 'framework law.' This needs to be understood correctly. The 'root law' here does not mean a final law that will resolve all the root causes, namely the structural causes, of the Kurdish issue all at once. The 'framework law' does not have such a function for now anyway.

"This law will rather be the key to the main regulations directed toward a historical threshold, a transition from the ground of armed conflict to the political and legal ground. In other words, the 'root law' is not a law that solves all of the root causes. It is the founding threshold that will pave the way for those causes to be resolved within democratic politics."

Bahçeli proposes formal status for Öcalan to guide PKK dissolution

18 May 2026

Kurdish side's demands

In this regard, the DEM Party argues that the AKP must take into account the 7-to-8-item proposal text conveyed by Öcalan through the İmralı Delegation.

According to the DEM Party, the framework law should bear the characteristic of a "root law" that will form the basis for subsequent amendments to be made to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Anti-Terror Law (TMK), and execution legislation.

İmralı Delegation member Pervin Buldan also said on May 28 that the scope of the framework law was discussed during their meeting with Öcalan four days ago:

"The meeting we held was predominantly about the upcoming law. He made a lengthy assessment regarding how the framework of the law should be. He specifically expressed that this law needs to be a root law, and that once this law is passed, the wheels of democracy can turn rapidly.

"However, he also said that for this law to be enacted, it is important to reach a consensus on the law that will be conveyed to him as a draft during this process.

"This framework law, which will consist of approximately 7 or 8 articles, will be enacted on a one-time basis. Members of the organization will be able to benefit from this law within a specific timeframe and come to Turkey or go to any other place they desire."

On Jun 25, Pervin Buldan said they had additional plans in case the law doesn't meet their expectations:

"Even if Öcalan does not accept the presented law, there is certainly a plan B and C. But this will not be a renewed armed struggle.

"It has already been stated that the armed struggle has ended and that it did not provide a solution. We might lose time, but it will still be a plan oriented toward democratic politics."

A waypoint on the path to peace: What does the commission report say?

28 February 2026

Scoops are 'baseless'

According to a Jul 1 report by the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the DEM Party İmralı Delegation, which carries out talks with Öcalan, held three more meetings with the AKP after the aforementioned meeting.

Speaking to the agency, DEM Party sources underlined that the scoops in the pro-government media regarding the law are "groundless."

Conveying that the government is carrying out a comprehensive preparation for the law within the scope of the meetings, that the work continues, and that the draft will be shared with the DEM Party and other political parties shortly, the sources noted that discussions regarding the regulation are also ongoing.

PKK’s ‘farewell to arms’: What is ending, and what is beginning?

14 July 2025

'I hope our concerns do not materialize'

During a press conference in parliament today regarding current developments, DEM Party Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli was asked whether they expect the law to pass the parliament before recess:

"We are continuing the meetings. A consensus seems to have been reached on bringing this law before the end of July, before parliament closes. We also held discussions on this matter yesterday in our Central Executive Board.

"Tomorrow, our Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan will make a statement to the public and the press. She will deliver a detailed explanation to you. She will share this information with you as a result of today's meetings.

"Not everything that comes to parliament passes through parliament; however, passing this law through parliament is a necessity. The approach of other parties on this matter is positive as far as I have observed so far, except for the İYİ Party.

"Therefore, this is an issue that actually concerns the future of all of us, concerning the peace of Turkey. It carries immense importance in terms of constituting a first step, creating a root for Turkey to truly achieve democracy and the rule of law.

"Thus, it is necessary to approach this with responsibility. I hope our concerns do not materialize. On the contrary, hope will prevail and this law will pass through parliament." 

(TY/VC/VK)

Following his detention at passport control, Göktaş was taken to the İstanbul Security Directorate for questioning. 

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed the detention, stating that an investigation is underway against the comedian on charges of "publicly insulting religious values adopted by a section of the population" as per Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code and "insulting the president" as per Article 299.

The show was performed at İstanbul's Harbiye Open Air Theater on Jun 1 and the video was published on YouTube on Jun 25. The video was viewed 8.7 million times in one week, and clips from the performance went viral across social media platforms, accumulating millions of views.

Following its widespread circulation, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) blocked access to some excerpts from the show shared on social media.

Prominent figures from the ruling circles, including Great Unity Party (BBP) Chair Mustafa Destici, former Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek, and former MP Şamil Tayyar, targeted Göktaş online prior to his detention.

The politically charged performance features satirical jokes about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and opposition leaders. Göktaş also addresses long-standing issues in Turkey, such as the Kurdish and Alevi questions, alongside jokes regarding the Quran. (HA/VK)

The affected outlets include Nûmedya24, a Kurdish-focused website published in Turkish, along with Kurdish-language Azadiya Welat newspaper and Ajansa Welat agency.

The BTK blocked the websites of all three outlets, as well as the official X accounts of Nûmedya24 and Ajansa Welat.

Kurdish journalists targeted in new wave of online censorship

10 April 2026

Nûmedya24 reported that the access ban on its website was implemented without any court order or justification. An inquiry on the BTK website confirmed the administrative decision.

"The website numedya24.com has been blocked from access by the Information Technologies and Communication Authority decision dated 01/07/2026 and numbered 490.05.01.2026.-748333," the BTK notice read.

BIA Media Monitoring Reports

13 December 2024

Nûmedya24’s official X account, which has over 22,000 followers and was opened about a year ago, was also restricted in Turkey on the same date.

In a notification sent to Nûmedya24, X stated that the restriction was implemented pursuant to Article 8/A of the Internet Law No. 5651. The account remains accessible in other countries. (HA/VK)

Saydam was taken to the İstanbul Security Directorate, where she was accused of "publicly disseminating misleading information" due to her report.

'Disinformation law' used against 83 journalists since 2022

10 April 2026

Following her statement to the police and a routine health check, the journalist was released from custody.

"If they had called, I would have gone myself, but I was unlawfully taken from my home by prosecutorial order," Saydam said after her release. "I was released after giving a statement for about four hours. I stand behind my report. I will continue to practice journalism and make the voice of the public heard."

BIA Media Monitoring Reports

13 December 2024

The article, titled "Citizens struggle for survival amid attacks: Is the new address of gangs Göktürk, İstanbul's favorite neighborhood?", detailed allegations of threats and armed attacks alongside the safety concerns of local residents.

The report also included an official statement from the police department, which maintained that there is not a single unsolved crime record in the upper-middle class neighrborhood..

The data shows an annual inflation rate of 35.94% for retail prices and 24.65% for wholesale prices compared to June of last year.

Among retail sectors, communication saw the highest monthly increase at 4,28%. Prices rose by 4.20% for alcoholic beverages and tobacco, 3.14% for household goods, 2.37% for housing, 1.66% for miscellaneous goods and services, and 1.25% for restaurants and hotels.

Health expenditures increased by 0.75%, food and non-alcoholic beverages by 0.65%, and culture and entertainment by 0.12%. Prices for education remained unchanged, while clothing and footwear fell by 2.21% and transportation decreased by 0.95%.

Turkey's inflation in first four months nearly hits year-end target

4 May 2026

İTO stated that market conditions drove the changes in communication, alcohol, tobacco, and household goods. Market conditions and partial seasonal effects influenced housing, food, and non-alcoholic beverages, while clothing, footwear, and transportation experienced downward trends.

In the wholesale sector, raw materials recorded the highest monthly price rise at 8.18%. Fuel and energy prices increased by 3.23%, food products by 2.85%, construction materials by 0.79%, minerals by 0.51%, and chemicals by 0.14%. Textiles showed no price change.

On an annual basis, wholesale prices for minerals surged by 33.51%. Construction materials rose by 28.64%, food products by 26.93%, fuel and energy by 22.58%, textiles by 15.97%, raw materials by 14.97%, and chemical products by 9.77%. (HA/VK)

The plant operated by Cenal Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., which uses imported coal, currently has an installed capacity of 1,320 MW. The company submitted an application to the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry to add a new 1,050 MW unit, raising the total installed capacity to 2,370 MW.

Cenal Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. was established in 2011 as a joint venture between Cengiz Holding and Alarko Holding, two major conglomerates in the country. The first unit of the plant in Karabiga became commercially active in Nov 2017, followed by the second unit in Dec 2017. Following the separation of Alarko Holding and Cengiz Holding's energy partnerships, the plant remained with Cengiz Holding.

Environmental concerns and zero new employment

The company calculated the investment cost of the project at 18.7 billion liras in the project file submitted to the ministry. Financing will be provided by Denizbank, Halk Bank, Finansbank, Ziraat Bank, and AlstomEPC.

The project area falls within the boundaries of forest areas, agricultural land, urban development zones, and water surfaces according to the Balıkesir-Çanakkale Planning Region 1/100,000 scale environmental plan. The construction process also envisions building a concrete plant in the area.

While 130 personnel are expected to work during the 48-month construction phase, no new workers will be hired to operate the expanded plant. The company plans to run the new unit using the existing plant workforce.

İzmir coal-fired plant continues operations despite court ruling

18 March 2025

The current plant generates approximately 9.9 billion kWh of electricity per year, meeting 3% of Turkey's electricity needs. The new unit is projected to add another 7.8 billion kWh to annual production.

According to open sources, the plant's current coal requirement is about 3.3 million tons per year. The amount of coal to be used after the capacity increase is not yet clear at this application stage. The project file states that coal can be supplied from Russia, Colombia, South Africa, or Indonesia.

In its current state, the plant causes 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Imported but 'domestic and national'

Despite being using imported, the company emphasized a "domestic and national" focus in its project file:

"National Energy Source: It contributes to reducing foreign dependency in energy by ensuring that domestic coal reserves are converted into energy using human-oriented and environmentally friendly technologies."

During the operational phase, the plant plans to meet all its water needs, including cooling water, process water, and drinking water, from seawater. The facility is expected to use seawater at a capacity of 152,500 cubic meters per hour.

Maraş coal-fired plant expansion could lead to ‘1,900 premature deaths'

8 July 2024

Effectively a new plant

A group of 15 non-governmental organizations working in the climate and environment fields protested the project in a joint statement.

The NGOs stated that the 1050 MW capacity increase effectively means a brand new imported coal power plant:

"Turkey's initiation of the permit process for a new imported coal-fired thermal power plant in Çanakkale, while preparing to chair the COP31 Climate Summit, contradicts its claim of climate leadership. In the details of the project, which is expressed as a 'capacity increase' in the EIA application file, we see that the construction of a separate boiler and a separate chimney is planned, which will almost double the coal consumption. This capacity increase of 1,050 MW means a new imported coal plant.

"There are already five other coal-fired power plants in Çanakkale. Estimates regarding the health effects of these plants indicate that they have caused at least 3,167 premature deaths since 2005. The economic cost of the cumulative health effects of the plants is calculated to be approximately 7 billion dollars.

"Scientific data shows that the main cause of the climate crisis is fossil fuels, namely coal, gas, and oil. Despite this, planning new imported coal plant investments contradicts Turkey's 2053 net-zero target and its strategy to reduce dependency on imported resources and foreign debt.

"While COP31 President and Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum talks about 'making clean electricity the backbone of economies and societies' and 'accelerating decarbonization,' the Energy Ministry granting a license for a new coal plant that will burn entirely imported fuel and emit high amounts of greenhouse gases shows that contradictory approaches are being adopted between the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and the Energy and Natural Resources Minister. This contradiction is worrying for the fate of COP31."

Although the company included a section titled "Cumulative environmental impact assessment" in its capacity increase application file, it did not present a detailed account of the existing environmental burdens in the region or the total combined impact with other thermal power plants. It noted that these assessments were left for the EIA report to be prepared later.

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

15 October 2025

Past court cases

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes of the Cenal Coal Power Plant have been the subject of lawsuits in the past.

The Karabiga Clean Nature Association, the Union of Municipalities of Mount Madra and Mount Kaz, the Biga Environment Association, professional chambers affiliated with TMMOB, and local residents of Karabiga took the deficiencies in the EIA report prepared during the establishment phase of the plant to court.

Although the Çanakkale Administrative Court rejected the case in May 2016, a reversal decision came from the Council of State in Nov 2018. The Council of State canceled the "EIA Positive" decision. However, the plant continued to burn coal, arguing that the Council of State did not issue a stay of execution. Subsequently, a new "EIA Positive" decision was granted for the plant in 2019.

The plant's current 1,320 MWe production license was obtained in 2013 and is valid until 2062. Upon the company's capacity increase application, the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) accepted the request to increase the production license by 1,050 MWe and raise the number of units from two to three, on the condition that the project receives EIA approval.

TURKSTAT STATISTICS

Half of 18.2 billion cubic meters of water abstracted by thermal plants in 2020

17 December 2021

Missing  data

Serious problems have occurred in the past regarding sharing data on emissions, chimney performance, and waste management of existing thermal power plants in Çanakkale with the public. Courts have ruled in favor of the right to information. Despite this, deficiencies in disclosing environmental data to the public continue.

For instance, Çanakkale's Lapseki district is among the top 10 stations exceeding the World Health Organization's 24-hour average guideline value of 15 µg/m3 for more than 4 days throughout the year. Sufficient data for measurement could not be obtained from the Çanakkale Çan industrial air quality measurement station in 2022 and 2023.

HEAL: Coal pollution in Turkey caused nearly 200,000 premature deaths in 55 years

27 January 2022

On a daily basis, Turkey produces approximately 1.14 million MW of electricity. Consumption stands at 1.133 million MW. Hydroelectric power plants with dams rank first in electricity generation with a 24% share. Imported coal plants rank second with a share of 17.7%, followed closely by solar power plants at 16.9%.

Turkey currently has 37 active coal-fired thermal power plants with an installed capacity of over 30 MW, totaling an installed capacity of 20.8 GW.

15 Thermal Plants to Operate Without Filters for Another 2.5 Years by AKP, MHP Votes

22 November 2019

Net-zero target

The non-governmental organizations opposing the project noted that Turkey imports 78% of the fossil fuels it uses for energy production.

Stating that the insistence on fossil fuels results in "foreign dependency in energy, high bills, worsening air, water, and soil pollution, and increasing health problems," the NGOs called out Minister Murat Kurum:

"Turkey, which imports 78% of the fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal) it uses for energy production, sees its insistence on fossil fuels return to us as foreign dependency in energy, high bills, worsening air, water, and soil pollution, and increasing health problems. Especially recent wars and geopolitical tensions have once again shown how vulnerable countries become due to dependency on fossil fuels.

"We demand that Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum terminate the EIA process of the new coal plant project, which is sought to be implemented under the name of capacity increase in Çanakkale-Biga, cancel both coal power plant projects along with the project in Afşin-Elbistan, and take concrete steps toward a fair and planned exit from fossil fuels."

Zero coal target: 'Turkey can replace coal sites with solar energy fields'

23 March 2022

The hidden cost of coal

According to a recent report by Greenpeace Turkey, the hidden cost of coal to the country is 592.1 billion liras annually. This figure corresponds to approximately 21,500 liras per household.

In other words, according to the report's methodology, the extra cost of coal per household every year is more than a single retirement pension. Additionally, state subsidies and support for coal reach a total of 133 billion 729 million liras per year. (HA/VK)

Ayten Yakut, 75, a long-time teacher and volunteer for the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA), was among the 41 members of the foundation targeted in the crackdown. She was remanded in custody on Jun 25 for on allegations of "being a member of a terrorist organization" and sent to Sincan Women's Closed Prison along with other women volunteers of TEMA.

She was released today following an appeal by her lawyer.

Number of arrests rises to 178 in Ankara ahead of NATO summit

29 June 2026

Lawyers link the targeting of TEMA in the investigation to a coincidental ID check on Jun 3, when the group organized a visit to the Nallıhan Bird Sanctuary on the outskirts of Ankara. The group's bus was stopped by police who had set up checkpoints at the entrances to Ankara to prevent the entry of Eskişehir-based miners who were protesting over their unpaid wages and attempting to bring their protest to the capital city.

"When we evaluate the events from the perspective of legal technique, it is clear that we are facing a complete legal absurdity," Gürbüz Özdemir, Yakut's lawyer, told bianet, describing the proceedings as "the implementation of a purely political scenario."

"My client is a 75-year-old woman with health issues," said Özdemir. "She is a retired teacher who has spent years educating people in this community and has never set foot in a courthouse or police station."

"Under these circumstances, her arrest and subsequent detention—cruelly linked to an armed terrorist organization—is unacceptable both legally and morally," added the lawyer.

NATO denies accreditation to Turkey's 'non-pro-government media' for Ankara summit

25 June 2026

'There is no single piece of evidence'

Police raided the home of Yakut, who lives alone, at around 4 in the morning on Jun 23. Along with several other detainees, she is accused of being a member of the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML), an outlawed armed group that has been barely active over the past two decades.

"Not a single piece of evidence or allegation was included during the interrogation to substantiate my client's connection with the TKP/ML," Özdemir said. "The questions asked were limited to whether she was familiar with this organization. During the interrogation, no evidence or allegations were presented to substantiate the client’s connection to the group."

Despite this, the prosecutor's office alleged in its formal request for arrest following interrogations that the suspects could "carry out terrorist acts in an effort to portray the Republic of Turkey as a country associated with terrorism."

Özdemir asserted this request alone showed that the process was politically motivated.

An appeal has been filed against Yakut's detention.

Ankara court remands over 100 including academic, journalist ahead of NATO summit

26 June 2026

NATO summit

The operations come ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for Jul 7–8 at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, where leaders from 32 countries will attend.

Around 40,000 security personnel will be on duty during the summit, and many streets will face strict traffic restrictions. Access to the summit venue and the areas where foreign leaders will stay is completely prohibited.

In preparation for the event, roads along the convoy routes have been lined with billboards featuring NATO and Turkish defense industry themes. The facades of houses along these routes have also been painted. These measures have drawn public criticism for restricting citizens' access to roads and putting up a superficial display for foreign leaders.

Hospital appointments reduced in Ankara 'for NATO summit,' doctors say

24 June 2026

(EMK/VK)

Tolls for the two the most used bridges over İstanbul Strait, Boğaziçi (15 Temmuz Şehitler) and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges, remained unchanged.

This was the second hike of the year, following a 25% raise in early January. This brought the total increase for bridge tolls to 47% in the first half of the year.

MP Aşkın Genç of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) criticized the hikes, arguing that public-private partnership (PPP) projects impose a heavy financial burden on both citizens and the public budget.

Genç said at parliament that under the build-operate-transfer model, citizens do not only pay at the toll booths but also through their taxes due to state-backed traffic guarantees. "This is not transportation; this is a heavy build-operate-transfer bill presented to the citizen," he remarked.

Genç pointed to the substantial increase in the toll for PPP bridges in the last four years. The toll for the Osmangazi Bridge, connecting İzmit and Yalova, which stood at 184.5 liras 2022, has increased by 534% since then. For the Çanakkale Bridge, linking two shores of Dardanelles Strait, the current 1,170-lira toll represents a 485% increase from its opening rate of 200 liras. Following the latest adjustments, a single crossing costs 1,170 liras, while a round trip reaches 2,340 liras.

Çanakkale Bridge opened: Costs to nature and public

21 March 2022

Guaranteed payments

The build-operate-transfer model involves the construction of public infrastructure projects by the private sector, which operates them for a specified period before transferring them back to the state. In Turkey, this model stands out as one of the most widely used methods within public-private partnership applications.

Under these projects, the public sector frequently provides the operating company with guarantees for a certain number of vehicle crossings, passengers, or revenue. If the guaranteed numbers or revenue figures are not met, the treasury covers the deficit from the state budget.

Turkey is spending billions of dollars for guaranteed payments in PPP projects

22 June 2020

Although these projects initially appear to be funded outside the direct public budget, guarantee payments return to the public sector as an implicit debt and payment burden in subsequent years. The OECD has also emphasized that risks from contingent liabilities in fiscal policy must be closely monitored for Turkey.

Calculations based on the Medium-Term Program (OVP) prepared by the Presidency Strategy and Budget Directorate forecast 328.49 billion liras in current transfers from the highways budget for roads, bridges, and tunnels under the build-operate-transfer scheme between 2025 and 2027. For airports, data from the State Airports Authority (DHMİ) shows that 218.6 million euros were paid to the private sector in 2025 for unmet passenger guarantees under build-operate-transfer projects.

(HA//VCVK)

The initiative is part of a series of measures introduced by the Drivers and Automobilists Federation of Turkey (TŞOF) to increase service quality for the event, which will bring together leaders from 32 countries.

Speaking to reporters, TŞOF Chair Mehmet Yiğiner announced that taxi drivers operating during the summit will wear gray pants and white shirts, and that vehicles will be fully prepared physically. 

Yiğiner noted that taxi drivers are the first people foreign guests encounter upon leaving the airport, meaning drivers will play a key role in promoting both Ankara and Turkey. "We want to serve our foreign guests in the best way possible," he said.

Taxis in Turkey have a bad reputation among both locals and foreigners. While taxi drivers are often criticized for violating traffic rules, mistreating customers, and refusing local passengers in tourist areas to earn more money, they are also known among foreigners for overcharging tourists.

Ankara court remands over 100 including academic, journalist ahead of NATO summit

26 June 2026

Summit preparations draw criticism

Ankara has implemented several other preparations for the summit. Authorities repaved damaged roads, repaired street defects, and leveled ground grates to match the road surface.

Roads to be used by foreign delegations have been lined with panels featuring banners themed around NATO and Turkish military equipment. Some claimed this was to cover the poor neighborhoods around the roads so that foreign delegations cannot see them.

Additionally, landscaping and flower planting were completed in front of hotels where foreign leaders are expected to stay.

A high-security "red zone" protocol will be enforced throughout the summit at airports, protocol routes, and areas where delegations reside. Some roads will be closed completely during the event, while others will close temporarily during convoy transits.

Hospital appointments reduced in Ankara 'for NATO summit,' doctors say

24 June 2026

The preparations have drawn criticism from the public on social media, with citizens arguing that the improvements were made to please foreign leaders rather than serve residents.

"It turns out the government could fix everything in a single day if it wanted to," one user wrote. "But they do not do it because they do not love us. Yet because they love them so much, they are doing everything."

Another user posted, "Everything is for NATO, everything is for the European; keep going exactly like this!"

Another one wrote, "Could you host the next summit in Adana? Our roads are very bad."

For some users, the summit measures recalled policies from the pandemic, when restrictions barred citizens from visiting restaurants or swimming in the sea while tourists were exempted. They shared photos from that period to highlight the parallel.

'Enjoy, I'm vaccinated': Ministry video for tourists causes outrage on social media

14 May 2021

(VK)

The news outlet's editor-in-chief, Yıldız Tar, has been jailed since Jun 25 as part of a "terror" probe launched ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara scheduled for July.

Kaos GL said the accounts of İstanbul Pride Week, İstanbul Trans Pride Week, Ankara Pride, and İzmir Pride were also made invisible within Turkey under court orders. The accounts remain visible from other countries.

Throughout Pride Month this year, accounts of LGBTI+ associations, organizations producing content on LGBTI+ rights, journalists, and individual rights defenders were blocked by X and Instagram following court orders. A number of dating applications preferred by queer users were also blocked.

Turkey blocks access to LGBTI+ dating apps

23 June 2026

(TY/VK)

The Adana Regional Court of Justice 2nd Penal Chamber overturned the conviction of Aytok Zozan Viyan, concluding that the legal elements of the alleged crime were not formed. The court also ordered the treasury to pay 30,000 liras in legal fees to Viyan.

The Mersin 26th Penal Court of First Instance had previously sentenced Viyan to one year and two months in prison. The local court refused to apply discretionary sentence reductions or a deferral of the announcement of the verdict, citing Viyan's "personality traits":

"... no grounds for discretionary mitigation were found, given that the defendant showed no signs of remorse, the identified negative personality traits, their behavior before and after the crime, and the expected benefit in light of the deterrent purpose of the sentence..."

The local court stated in its reasoned decision that no remorse was observed from the defendant. It added that discretionary reductions were not warranted due to negative personality traits and behavior before and after the crime.

The posts

The Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had filed the indictment based on two posts shared on X, formerly Twitter, in late 2024. The prosecution claimed the posts constituted the crime of insulting the president and requested a prison sentence.

The first post, dated Oct 30, 2024, stated, "The president of the country I live in considers me an enemy, I am proud, phobic!"

The second post, shared on Nov 20, 2024, with a hashtag opposing the government policy of appointing trustees to opposition municipalities, said, "We will not bow down to you, dictator. Peoples and nations have the right to self-determination."

In the defense before the penal court of first instance, Viyan stated that the posts were shared to bring a critical perspective to developments in Turkey and the world.

"I think my posts should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of expression," Viyan said, demanding an acquittal.

Viyan's lawyer argued that the posts were political criticisms rather than insults. The lawyer noted that the word "phobic" was a critical expression against discrimination in the context of LGBTI+ rights, while the term "dictator" was a criticism aimed at trustee appointments and the right to vote and stand for election.

On appeal, the defense argued that the posts were taken out of context and that Viyan was contributing to a public debate regarding discrimination against LGBTI+s and trustee policies.

Personal information leaked in targeted campaign

Viyan told bianet that process began in Jan 2024 after being targeted by anonymous social media accounts that leaked photos, identification, communication details, location, and family information.

Viyan said a complaint was filed through lawyers in Mersin, which led to the closure of some accounts, but others continued the leaks. Viyan was later called by the police, and officers used threatening language.

Viyan went to the police station with a lawyer to give a statement, where police only asked about the post containing the word "phobic." However, Viyan discovered five to six months later that the lawsuit also included the post containing the word "dictator."

Viyan criticized the local court's refusal to apply a deferral of the announcement of the verdict based on personality traits.

"The decision stated that the deferral was not applied due to statements about my personality traits. Systematically, this is also phobia," Viyan said. "Furthermore, it is very clear that the reason this lawsuit was opened was my LGBTI+ identity." (HA/VK)

The report noted an 86% chance that at least one of the next five years will become the hottest on record. Currently, 2024 holds that title.

Rising temperatures do not affect all urban residents equally. Extreme heat heavily impacts people over the age of 65, children, workers, low-income communities, and stray animals.

In low-income neighborhoods, women face additional challenges. They often perform domestic labor in conditions lacking basic cooling amenities like air conditioning or fans.

These unequal living conditions leave lower-income residents more vulnerable to the urban heat island effect. Consequently, residents in the same city experience heat waves differently.

In the Esenler district of İstanbul, 21-year-old university student Deniz said she must walk 10 minutes to reach the nearest green space. Every summer feels hotter than the last to her.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that urban residents have access to green spaces within 300 meters of their homes, or a five-minute walk.

Deniz said she cannot leave her house on hot days and despite having air conditioning, and she remains uncomfortable indoors.

"On days I don't go to school, I usually sit at home, I can't go out because of the heat," Deniz said. "I don't think the park near the house helps with the temperature. When I am at home, unless I am in the room with the AC, it gets really hot."

In Kadıköy, 35-year-old sex worker Hülya said accessing green areas is relatively easy for her. However, she noted that the district is rapidly becoming a concrete jungle.

"Especially due to endless construction, urban transformation projects, and the mosque project planned for the Rıhtım, the center of Kadıköy has turned into a giant construction site," Hülya said.

Hülya added that the main square is currently covered in dust and has low tree density.

"Although we haven't experienced the scorching heat of summer yet, you can feel the heat rising from the asphalt and hitting your face," Hülya said. "I worry when I think of the elderly, children, and stray animals. Of course, there are also districts that do not have access to green space even limitedly like us."

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) from 2023 shows that socioeconomic levels in İstanbul closely align with the distribution of green spaces.

Classes of green and grey

While the forested Beykoz district on the city's outskirts has between 37 and 189 square meters of green space per capita, the lower-income district of Esenler has only 0.6 to 3.48 square meters.

Other disadvantaged areas with low green space include Zeytinburnu, Gaziosmanpaşa, and Bağcılar. Residents in these districts often lack cooling infrastructure and investments.

Turkish law mandates 15 square meters of green space per person. The İstanbul Green Space Management System Strategy Document aims to reach this target across the city by 2050.

The lack of vegetation worsens the urban heat island effect, a microclimate phenomenon where cities become warmer than surrounding rural areas.

Asphalt, concrete, and buildings absorb solar radiation and slowly release heat, even at night. Reduced airflow from dense buildings, vehicle traffic, and waste heat from air conditioners further elevate urban temperatures.

However, the heatwave in Europe has also exposed several misconceptions about extreme heat. What factors make a heatwave more deadly? Why does Europe issue a red alert at 40 degrees while temperatures of 46 to 47 Celsius degrees are recorded in Turkey without much complaint? Does El Nino have anything to do with this? And perhaps most importantly, what lessons should Turkey draw for the summer months?

1. The number on the thermometer does not determine the danger of heat

News from Europe has raised a justified question. Europe issues red alerts at 40 degrees, while we in Turkey do not complain as much about temperatures of 46 to 47 degrees. Is all of this exaggerated?

The answer to this question reveals the least understood aspect of heatwaves. The temperature on a thermometer alone does not determine how dangerous heat is. There are factors that are often overlooked, such as humidity, nighttime temperatures, infrastructure, and even air cleanliness.

2. The source of the danger in Europe is a 'heat dome'

The human body sheds the thermal load accumulated during the day mainly at night, when the weather cools down. This physiological recovery during sleep is the most critical mechanism for enduring heat.

What makes the heatwave in Europe particularly dangerous is that it develops under a "heat dome." Hot air from North Africa is trapped over the continent like a lid by a high-pressure system. Air cannot dissipate under this stagnant system. Heat accumulates day after day on top of the previous day, and nights do not cool down sufficiently. Under these conditions, where nighttime temperatures do not drop and the body cannot find an opportunity to recover, the physiological burden of heat multiplies by the day.

This was also the primary cause of the disaster that led to nearly 15,000 deaths in France during the summer of 2003. It was a constant heatwave that lasted for days, did not end even at night, and struck elderly people living in homes without air conditioning.

3. European cities were not built for extreme heat

Another reason Europe is affected so heavily is structural. The continent was built for cool summers in the past, making it a region where air conditioning is not widespread.

Moreover, according to the World Meteorological Organization, Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average. This means the same atmospheric patterns, such as the classic high-pressure systems that bring summer heat, now translate into much more extreme temperatures on an already warmed ground and arrive earlier in the season.

4. The unexpected price of clean air

Another little-known but scientifically well-documented factor is the successful fight against air pollution that Europe has waged over the past few decades. As a result of this struggle, tiny airborne particles from industry and traffic, known as aerosols, have significantly decreased.

This is undoubtedly a positive development for the air we breathe. However, these particles also acted as a thin curtain, reflecting and scattering a portion of sunlight to reduce the radiation reaching the surface. As the air cleared, this curtain thinned, and the solar energy reaching the ground increased.

This phenomenon, which scientists call "solar brightening," means the surface warms more intensely, especially on clear and cloudless summer days. In other words, the cleaner skies of Europe inadvertently create a heating effect during heatwaves. This is an ironic side effect that does not overshadow the vital importance of reducing emissions in the long term, but it contributes to the severity of the heat in the short term.

5. El Nino is not the cause of the heatwave

Claims in some commentaries suggesting that the heatwave is occurring due to "this year's strong El Niño" are incorrect.

The tropical Pacific has not yet transitioned to El Nino. A strong, or even a potential "super" El Nino, is expected for the second half of the year, but it has not developed yet. Therefore, the heat in Europe in Jun 2026 cannot be directly caused by El Nino.

The driver of this event is a high-pressure system, known as an "omega block," and a heat dome that locks hot air from the Sahara over Europe. The effect of El Nino pushing global temperatures upward will be felt starting from the second half of the year, primarily in 2027. These factors must not be confused to correctly understand the situation.

Heatwave expected in Turkey in July and August

Turkey is not directly inside this heatwave for now. This is because the country sits on the relatively cool and rainy side of the omega block that has trapped Europe. The heavy rain and hail seen in Central Anatolia and the Black Sea region this week are a result of this positioning.

However, this protection is only temporary. According to forecasts by the State Meteorological Service, a high-pressure ridge will approach Turkey from the west starting in late June. Hot, arid, and stagnant air will take over once again. Temperatures in the western and southern parts of the country are expected to rise 1 to 3 degrees above seasonal norms. The main heatwave is expected to arrive in July and August.

Unlike the heatwave in Europe, looking only at the highest number on the thermometer will be misleading in Turkey. The European heatwave is fed by a relatively dry air mass coming from the Sahara. This means the main problem there is not high humidity, but rather extreme absolute temperatures that last for days without nighttime cooling. However, the danger multiplies when humidity enters the equation in river and coastal cities. The coastal regions of Turkey face exactly this threat.

1. Humidity prevents the body from cooling itself

The human body cools itself by sweating, which relies on sweat evaporating from the skin surface. This evaporation draws heat away from the body.

However, for evaporation to occur, the air must have the capacity to absorb this moisture. If the air is already saturated with humidity, sweat cannot evaporate and instead builds up on the skin. Consequently, the body cannot cool itself down. This is why a day with a temperature of 35 degrees and 60% humidity can be far more dangerous than a dry day at 40 degrees with 20% humidity.

2. The key metric to watch: Wet-bulb temperature

This is precisely why scientists use the wet-bulb temperature to measure the true danger of the weather.

The name comes from the measurement method itself. The bulb of a thermometer is wrapped in a wet cloth and exposed to the air. As the water on the cloth evaporates, the thermometer cools down. The resulting value reflects how much the air can cool. Higher humidity means less evaporation, which drives the wet-bulb temperature upward. As the wet-bulb temperature rises, the capacity of the human body to cool itself shrinks.

3. The critical threshold: A wet-bulb temperature of 35 degrees

When the wet-bulb temperature reaches 35 degrees, even a healthy person resting in the shade with unlimited water cannot survive for more than a few hours. This is because the body loses all ability to shed its internal heat.

Of course, this is a theoretical threshold. In real life, values that even approach this limit can be fatal, especially for the elderly, individuals with chronic illnesses, and outdoor workers.

Critical message for Turkey: The highest thermometer reading is not the only issue!

The main message for Turkey is clear: In the upcoming heatwaves, focusing solely on the highest temperature on the thermometer will be misleading.

• Because humidity is high along the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Marmara coasts, the heat index and wet-bulb temperatures could reach much more dangerous levels than in the dry interior regions. Coastal cities like İzmir, Aydın, Muğla, Antalya, Mersin, and Hatay are our most vulnerable areas in this regard.
• In Southeastern Anatolia, even though the humidity is low, the absolute temperature rises so high that the risk remains very elevated.
• Perhaps most importantly, tropical nights—days when the nighttime temperature does not drop below 20°C—have been increasing rapidly in major cities across Turkey in recent years. In urban environments dominated by concrete, with little green space and heated by the urban heat island effect, the inability to cool down at night is becoming a public health issue just as critical as daytime heat, if not more so.
• Furthermore, the burden of this heat is not distributed equally. Those who can use air conditioning and those who cannot experience the heat differently. The same goes for residents of green neighborhoods versus high-density concrete areas, or office employees versus those working outdoors in fields or construction sites. Therefore, heatwaves are not just meteorological events; they are also matters of social justice.

Preparing for heatwaves requires accurate information rather than panic. This involves protecting vulnerable groups and reducing outdoor activities between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm. Cities must also increase shade and green spaces. Most importantly, heatwave early warning systems must be established to factor in humidity and nighttime temperatures rather than just daytime maximums. We now know that the danger of a heatwave is determined by whether our bodies can cool down, not by the thermometer.

(TY/VK)

After investigating the club, authorities said the establishment was shut down due to "practices and transactions that violate legal regulations."

The investigation followed a social media post by Tek Yön, inviting passengers of a gay cruise tour to the club on Jul 8 to when the ship is scheduled to stop in İstanbul, two days after a stop in Kuşadası, Aydın in western Turkey. 

Campaign by pro-government daily

The pro-government daily Yeni Şafak reported on the invitation, accusing the nightclub of acting against public morality by "planning an audacious boat party."

The outlet later reported that the cruise ship, Scarlet Lady, operated by Virgin Voyages, altered its route to exclude İstanbul entirely. 

Today, The Aydın Governor's Office released a statement, saying that it's "absolutely out of the question" that the ship will stop in the city "with an organization as described."

The nightclub's response

In a statement released on Instagram on Jun 27, Tek Yön denied accusations that it was organizing a boat party or targeting public morality. The venue clarified that a deleted social media post was simply an invitation for cruise passengers to attend a party at the nightclub.

"Our business has been operating for 18 years in maximum compliance with the laws of the Republic of Turkey and other legal regulations," Tek Yön emphasized, noting it maintains rights to legal remedies against misleading reports.

Opened in 2008 on Sıraselviler Street, Tek Yön was one of the most recognizable LGBTI+ venues in İstanbul, serving as a social safe space. (TY/VK)

A total of 225 people were initially detained on Jun 23 during simultaneous raids across the capital as part of a "terrorism" investigation led by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Following courthouse proceedings on Jun 26, courts ordered the formal arrest of 178 individuals, while 34 were placed under house arrest and six were released.

Those remanded in custody include academics, journalists, and environmental activists and students.

NATO denies accreditation to Turkey's 'non-pro-government media' for Ankara summit

25 June 2026

The prosecutor's office stated that the operations targeted suspected members of ISIS and various Marxist armed organizations. In its formal arrest request, the office argued that the suspects could "carry out terrorist acts in an effort to portray the Republic of Turkey as a country associated with terrorism."

The court ruled for formal arrest on the grounds that concrete evidence showed a strong suspicion of crime. It also cited flight risks, incomplete evidence in the file, and the insufficiency of alternative judicial control measures.

During interrogations, suspects were questioned about their membership in unions, associations, or political parties. Prosecutors also asked about their participation in demonstrations, their alleged use of code names, and whether they had received weapons training.

Hospital appointments reduced in Ankara 'for NATO summit,' doctors say

24 June 2026

(VK)

A memorial ceremony was held for the artist at 1.00 pm local time at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Taksim. His funeral prayer was performed at the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa Mosque in Beşiktaş, followed by his burial at the Ulus Cemetery.

İnanır was a leading figure of the Yeşilçam era of Turkish cinema, appearing in nearly 200 films and television series. His screen persona was characterized by rigid archetypes of honorable, tough, and fiercely anti-injustice protagonists.

His partnership with actress Türkan Şoray produced several foundational works of Turkish romantic drama, most notably Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım in 1977. His performances in Tatar Ramazan and Yılanların Öcü reinforced his cinematic brand as a defiant defender of the marginalized.

Political stance

Beyond his acting career, İnanır maintained a prominent left-wing political profile. He frequently leveraged his cultural capital to engage in systemic issues, emphasizing human rights, democratization, and labor issues. In 2013, the government appointed him to the Committee of Wise People, an advisory body established from public figures and intellectuals to facilitate the Kurdish peace process. 

İnanır frequently expressed his political views in writing. In a 2015 article titled "Long Live the Brotherhood of Peoples" for the 13th issue of the monthly KAFA Magazine, he emphasized the social responsibilities of cultural figures:

Artists’ attitudes toward eliminating their country’s fundamental problems, which have lagged behind the times, or toward being sensitive to these issues, are just as important as the works they produce. When an artist combines their artistic power with their enlightening power, humanity in that country grows and is elevated to the beauty of a work of art. Throughout my 46-year career as an artist, I have always championed and defended these ideas.

I travel to conflict zones around the world. I witness firsthand the hardships and deaths endured along the paths toward peace. I work tirelessly so that the climate of conflict in our country may be eliminated and transformed into lasting peace. I am dedicating the most beautiful years of my life to this cause. In defiance of those wretched opponents, I will not give up this struggle until the very end.

This structure imposed upon us is, without a doubt, nothing more than a deliberate method they employ to stand in the way of the world’s most beautiful country. In light of these truths, we have no other choice but to join hands, embrace one another, and shout “PEACE” at the top of our lungs. This heavenly homeland is rich and vast enough to feed 500 million people. There is only one slogan for us to experience this happiness together: Long live the Brotherhood of Peoples! Long live PEACE! Long live a Fully Independent Turkey.

(TY/VK)

At least 65 people including journalists were detained during the incidents as police dispersed groups emerging from various streets. All detainees were released at night after testifying to the police.

The march began at around 12 pm local time in Caferağa neighborhood. MPs Özgül Saki of the pro-Kurdish People's Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party and Sera Kadıgil of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) also joined the crowd.

Trans activists pop up in Kadıköy after decoy parade draws police to Taksim

21 June 2026

'We are here with our courage'

After police surrounded the group, several other groups emerged from various streets and continued the demonstrations throughout the day despite crackdowns. They unfurled banners and chanted "Where are you, my love? - I'm here my love."

🏳️‍🌈​​ 24. İstanbul Onur Yürüyüşü | Caferağa Keresteci Aziz Sokak'ta "Neredesin aşkım" sloganı atarak pankart açmak isteyen LGBTİ+'lar ile eylemi takip eden gazeteciler gözaltına alındı.

📹 Video: Müberra Ünsal pic.twitter.com/hOzwDIRTPz

— bianet (@bianet_org) June 28, 2026

"Our friends were detained with torture during the 24th LGBTI+ Pride March we held today," demonstrators said in a statement during the march:

"But we are on the streets once again today. We are here with our courage. We are here to carry on the laughter and the words of our detained friends. We came out openly, we speak openly. We say it once again: We are not giving up on our struggle."

İstanbul's LGBTI+ activists hold Pride March in unexpected location to circumvent bans

1 July 2024

The İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee also released a statement on social media during the incidents:

"We have always said it, and we will continue to say it; we are here, we resist both the detentions and your hate on the streets that belong to us!"

"My love, today is not over yet, in fact, we are just getting started! We are not dispersing! We continue to be on the street from every area we are in!"

🏳️‍🌈​​ 24. İstanbul Onur Yürüyüşü | Kadıköy Yaverbey Sokak’ta bir araya gelen feministler gözaltına alındı

🗣️ "Bize diyorlar ki 'Kıyafetiniz sakıncalı, şüphelendik'. Neden şüphelendiklerini bilmiyoruz. Biz de bu sokaklarda yaşayan insanlarız. Bir pazar günü burada 'şüphelendik'… pic.twitter.com/2um7bgXbX1

— bianet (@bianet_org) June 28, 2026

Prior to the march, both Kadıköy and Beyoğlu district governor's offices banned all events during the weekend.

DİSK Press Workers (Basın-İş) union and the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) condemned the detentions of media workers in separate statements, calling for their immediate release.

🏳️‍🌈​​ 24. İstanbul Onur Yürüyüşü | Kadıköy Şair Latifi Sokak'ta en az beş kişi kötü muameleye maruz bırakılarak gözaltına alındı. pic.twitter.com/FdeES4Pq0G

— bianet (@bianet_org) June 28, 2026

LGBTI+ pride marches have been banned in Turkey for the past decade. Activists continue to hold the events, employing various methods to evade police crackdowns.

This year, an extensive wave of online censorship also targeted the LGBTI+ community during Pride month. Authorities banned the social media accounts of queer rights groups, media outlets, and individual activists. 

Turkey bans access to LGBTI+ groups' social media accounts

22 June 2026

(VK)

The mood in both countries prior to the start is quite similar. England last won a major trophy before the earth was made, now expectations year on year diminish. Turkey is slightly different, they had a good Euros but this time it doesn’t feel as strong. There is, however, quiet optimism, if they win a few games the country will beam like an Antalya sun.

In a parallel universe, a little old man sits in a room surrounded by red flags, signing autographs for himself, while the guy he kicked out is surrounded by thousands at a rally and adored across the country. I wonder if he will ever realise he may have made a tactical error. 

The game was due to start at 7am. I woke up just before, sorry I didn’t, I overslept. When I finally woke up at, um, midday, I implored my wife not to tell me the score or to turn on any electronic things, she was in the dark about the game too. It would have been better if we had stayed that way. To summarise, Arda kicked the ball, Aktürkoğlu kicked the ball and Çakır forgot where the ball was, twice. Onwards and upwards. Two games to go, need just one win which is very possible. 

As light relief, one of the “new” leaders of the party taunted the “Pit-Bull” MP, that’s how I describe him due to his dogged determination. He replied with three sick emojis. Sometime a picture does paint a thousand words.

As I prepared for England’s first game, no I’m not playing, but the nerves are like I am, pondering also how well on the pitch the tournament had started. My wife rushed into my room, “He’s gone!” Surely that’s not the English manager, they could at least have the decency to wait till we are inevitably knocked out. No, it was the head of the party in Istanbul who I fondly named as “Dracula.” The “new” old leader was carrying out the great replacement theory, like Doctor Who’s fossilised Dalek was exterminating the party. 

The clock is ticking… There may be nothing left to write here.

So, England won and everyone danced around like over excited puppies. Turkey slipped out by the back door lacklustre, their fate sealed even before a ball was kicked. They had been dealt a poor team and an even worse coach. 

The previous night the homeless undertaker graced our screens. The “new” leader was asked “proper” questions on an opposition channel. We learnt that he went for a walk one day and out of the blue thought oh I’m the leader of the opposition. When asked about all the awful things happening. He said “I know nothing about that I’m only the leader of the party” and then Chaplinesque wobbled of stage. 

I’d had enough of this madness, rule books were toilet paper and nothing made sense. It was with great relief that I was invited up north to promote my book at an international art festival. The coach hugged the coast line, down below small fishing boats and huts hid beneath us. Then in Giresun green everywhere, it was as if God forgot there were other colours, gorgeous. We entered a tunnel like cutting through a giant tree, darkness resting gently on you and me in this beautiful land. (DM/VK)

The newspaper filed an objection to the decision with its lawyer, İlke Işık, saying that the arrest was based solely on the prosecution’s assessment.

"When the content of the report, the duration it remained online, and whether it resonated with the public are evaluated together, we are faced with a situation where none of the elements of Article 217/A have been met," she said.

'Disinformation law' used against 83 journalists since 2022

10 April 2026

Baskan, a university student, had to leave behind her cat, her mother, and her education. "She is faced with having her life suddenly halted without any criminal element," Işık said.

"We expect her release before a lawsuit is filed or a trial even begins," Işık added. "The arrest was made based on a single page of internet printout. Moreover, the report itself is not even in the prosecution’s file; they searched for it but could not find it. There is an arrest over content that does not actually exist." (HA/VK)

A total of 225 people were initially detained in the Jun 23-24 operations, with 26 placed under house arrest and court proceedings continuing for the remaining detainees.

Those remanded in custody include Assoc Prof Emel Memiş, LGBTI+ rights activist and journalist Yıldız Tar, TEMA Foundation Ankara Representative Nevzat Özer, Umut-Sen union spokesperson Burcu Arıkan, and Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) lawyers Semra Demir and Kürşat Bafra.

NATO denies accreditation to Turkey's 'non-pro-government media' for Ankara summit

25 June 2026

'They could carry out attacks'

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office did not directly link the investigation to the NATO summit in its initial announcement, claiming that the operations targeted suspected members of ISIS and various Marxist armed organizations.

In its formal request for arrest following interrogations, the prosecutor's office said it evaluated that the suspects could "carry out terrorist acts in an effort to portray the Republic of Turkey as a country associated with terrorism."

The court ruled to arrest the 103 individuals on the grounds that "concrete evidence showed a strong suspicion of crime" and the minimum and maximum legal penalties posed a flight risk. It also cited incomplete evidence in the file and the nature of the alleged crimes, concluding that alternative judicial control measures would be insufficient.

'You are doing this for Trump'

Some of those arrested criticized the decisions, with one saying "You are doing this for Trump, do not do it. He turned the Middle East into a bloodbath," and another, "You are causing suffering to citizens just because NATO members are coming," as reported by ANKA news agency.

Hospital appointments reduced in Ankara 'for NATO summit,' doctors say

24 June 2026

During the prosecutorial interrogations, suspects were questioned about their membership in unions, associations, or political parties, and their participation in demonstrations, including April-May protests by mining workers. They were also asked whether they were members of a specified "terrorist" organization, used code names, had received weapons training, or had relatives within the respective organization.

(VK)

In the sessions led by Mihriban Boyacı, participants conducted group work to identify rights violations in news about disability and re-evaluated discriminatory news examples from a rights-based perspective.

Participants also addressed the technical dimension of accessible journalism, discussing practices such as visual description, subtitling, sign language support, and accessible web design.

'We write news without killing the ableist in our heads'

Boyacı examined disability news published in different media outlets together with the participants in the Rights Violation Hunt session. In the group work, participants identified rights violations in the news and discussed problematic forms of representation such as heroizing and pitying.

Stating that disabled people are mostly represented in the media either as a "hero who overcomes their disability" or as individuals defined solely through their disability, Boyacı noted that both approaches are incompatible with rights-based journalism. She emphasized that journalists must question their own prejudices when producing news:

We write news without killing the ableist in our heads. I did not succeed despite my disability. I succeeded by overcoming the inaccessibility of the system. The focus of journalism should not be on a disabled person 'overcoming their disability,' but rather on the lack of accessibility and rights violations that make that success difficult.

'It is necessary to see the problem in the barriers created by society'

Boyacı examined examples of rights-based journalism with the participants in the Transform Biased News session and discussed the elements that distinguish these stories from others. Assessments were made on the voice of the subject, expert opinions, making systemic problems visible, and how rights violations are handled in the news.

Boyacı stated that the direct voice of the subject is a fundamental principle in rights-based journalism, saying, "I cannot speak about an event that I have not experienced or listened to myself. In every news story where we do not give a voice to the subject, we are actually ignoring the principle of accountability."

At the end of the session, participants discussed that news should not be content with merely conveying individual aggrievance but should make the structural problems that lead to this victimization visible. Boyacı said, "What we basically want to do is expose the flaw. It is necessary to see the problem not in the disabled person, but in the barriers created by society."

'Access to information is one of the most fundamental human rights'

In the Accessible Journalism Module session, Boyacı explained the importance of not only writing news in a rights-based language but also making it technically accessible to everyone.

Participants evaluated accessibility practices such as visual description, keyboard navigation, color contrast, subtitling, and sign language support through examples.

Touching upon the importance of adding descriptions to photographs used in news, Boyacı said, "You have to add descriptions to the visuals you use in the news. As a visually impaired news reader, when I cannot access the visual, what the news tells me remains incomplete."

In the session, participants practiced visual description by describing a photograph taken during the workshop together. Emphasizing that accessibility is not a choice but a fundamental right, Boyacı said, "None of these are a sacrifice. All of them are fundamental human rights. If we want our news to reach everyone, we have to do these."

Rights-based interview practice

In the Interview Simulation session, participants were divided into two groups and prepared interview questions in the fields of the right to education and the right to transportation. The groups practiced rights-based interviewing by directing their questions to Mihriban Boyacı and Ozan Kocakaya.

Answering the questions prepared on the right to transportation, Kocakaya conveyed the accessibility problems faced by visually impaired people in public transportation while drawing attention to the importance of voice announcement systems working regularly and making sidewalks accessible. Participants evaluated together whether the questions they prepared established a rights-based language.

In the second simulation conducted on the right to education, Boyacı answered questions about accessibility practices in universities, access to educational materials, and physical barriers encountered on campuses.

Participants wrote rights-based headlines

The final session of the workshop was held under the title Developing News Ideas. Accompanied by Mihriban Boyacı, participants wrote news articles using rights-based journalism principles.

One of the groups reported on the case of an autistic person who passed away in a care center, while the other group covered the achievement of a visually impaired athlete who placed in an international marathon.

Participants evaluated the headlines and subheadings they prepared together, discussing whether the language used contained discriminatory, heroizing, or pitying expressions. (EG)

The Hakkari Bar Association, the Human Rights Association (İHD) Hakkari Branch, and the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Hakkari Branch held a joint press conference in front of the Hakkari Closed Prison to reveal the allegations regarding prisoners Salah Bimari and Resul Bimari.

According to the organizations, the two Iranian citizens had attempted to cross the border through frontier villages in the Şemdinli district to work as shepherds, after being denied entry at official gates due to war conditions in Iran. After being apprehended by military personnel in the border area, they were taken first to a border outpost and later transferred by civilian teams to a law enforcement building in central Şemdinli, where they were allegedly tortured.

The statement said the abuse resulted in severe wounds on various parts of their bodies, and two of Resul Bimari's teeth were broken. The groups reported receiving claims that the torture continued after the interrogation sessions, and that Resul Bimari was subjected to sexual violence.

Solitary confinement

Following their formal arrest, the two men were moved to the Hakkari Closed Prison, where they were placed in solitary confinement. The prison administration initially refused to accept the medical examination reports issued during law enforcement custody, prompting a transfer to a hospital for new forensic medical reports, the organizations noted.

The groups announced they filed a criminal complaint against those responsible and demanded immediate steps from judicial and administrative authorities.

"We demand that the prisoners be promptly examined physically and psychologically by independent medical delegations in accordance with the principles of the Istanbul Protocol, in an environment free from pressure by law enforcement or prison staff," the organizations stated.

The groups also urged the immediate suspension of the suspect personnel to ensure the integrity of the investigation, prevent the tampering of evidence, and protect the safety of the prisoners, while calling for an impartial and swift criminal investigation.

The Immigrant Refugee Solidarity Network and the Freedom for Nana Platform organized the briefing at the Human Rights Association İstanbul branch. Speakers detailed Babazade's experiences in Turkey, her subsequent return to Azerbaijan, and the ongoing security threats she faces.

Azerbaijani student activist deported from Turkey alleges mistreatment, coercion

13 November 2025

Babazade was detained in Augustust last year after participating in a protest against rising cafeteria prices at İstanbul University. She has lived under the constant threat of deportation since that incident.

A joint statement said Babazade became a target due to her activism in women's rights, LGBTI+ rights, and animal rights. The statement also noted that Babazade endured physical and psychological domestic violence for many years and faced death threats from her family.

(EMK/VK)

Late yesterday, journalists and outlets announced on social media one after another that their applications had been denied without any justification. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey account shared the text sent to the journalists on behalf of "NATO Accreditations":

"I regret to say that your request for media accreditation cannot be granted this time. I cannot discuss the reasons for this decision, which is final.

"You can follow the public parts of the meeting on the NATO website and you can always get in touch with questions about NATO's work via the contact form on our website."

Over 200 detained in Ankara raids ahead of NATO summit

23 June 2026

Those rejected were non-state and non-pro-government media outlets. The secular-nationalist Cumhuriyet, Nefes, and Sözcü newspapers, left-wing dailies Birgün and Evrensel, pro-Kurdish İlke TV, pro-opposition Halk TV, and ANKA News Agency are among the denied.

In addition, experienced journalists Deniz Zeyrek and Murat Yetkin, the founder of the Yetkinreport website, were also rejected. Zeyrek expressed his reaction on a post in English:

"I have been a journalist for 32 years and spent many of those years as a diplomatic correspondent. I have covered numerous NATO meetings and summits, including those held in Washington and Brussels. Unfortunately, due to NATO’s accreditation restrictions, I will not be able to cover the NATO Summit taking place in my own city, Ankara. This shame is yours Allison Hart"

Another journalist, Duygu Güvenç, also criticized NATO over the rejection she received, saying that as a journalist who has covered countless NATO events on site, she will not be able to follow the summit in the city where she lives.

Hospital appointments reduced in Ankara 'for NATO summit,' doctors say

24 June 2026

RSF Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu criticized the decision as well, demanding a transparent procedure:

"We find it difficult to understand the understanding of accreditation that closes the NATO summit to a significant part of the Turkey media. We do not accept this procedure, which does not state the reason for the rejection and turns its back on the right to appeal in advance, and we demand a transparent and positive procedure."

Response from NATO

Following the criticism, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart made a statement on social media today, saying that the decision was made based on the assessments of the host country and that they are in talks with Turkish officials for wider participation.

"NATO has long-standing media accreditation procedures for major events. For summits and ministerial meetings held outside NATO Headquarters, NATO relies on the host nation to provide assessments on journalists from their country to ensure access to the meeting site.

"We are in contact with Turkish authorities on accreditation for the NATO Summit in Ankara. It is very important for NATO that media can attend major events in person."

The Presidency's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran had previously announced that nearly 3,000 media workers from various countries had applied for accreditation for the summit. (VK)

The detentions come seven months after the fire at the Ravive Kozmetik factory in the Dilovası district of the northwestern industrial hub. The individuals had already been suspended from their positions following the incident.

The detainees include Deputy Mayor Necati Temiz, along with former and current directors of building control, zoning and urban planning, and municipal police officials.

Families demand accountability

The Dilovası Labor Massacre Families platform responded to the developmen in a written statement, saying, "The municipality is not enough, all responsible public officials will be prosecuted." 

Seven officials from central government institutions, namely the Social Security Institution (SGK), the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR), were also suspended following the fire. However, the investigation has seen no developments regarding these officials.

Families of the killed workers had recently launched a justice vigil at Gebze Town Square to protest the lack of progress in the investigation conducted against public officials.

Investigations following the incident revealed that the deceased workers had been employed without social security, and the factory operated in an illegal, unlicensed building and lacked safety measures.

The investigation also established that the workplace had been licensed despite major deficiencies, no inspections were conducted while operations continued, and authorities failed to seal and demolish the illegal structure in a timely manner. Complaints submitted through Presidency Communication Center (CİMER) were also ignored.

Despite these findings, municipal and public officials were excluded from the initial indictment prepared by the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which charged 16 individuals. (HA/VK)

Chamber head Dr. Sabri Dokuzoğuz linked the decision to the upcoming NATO summit in the capital city, asserting that it was an attemp to ease crowds at hospitals:

"If you examine patients every 20 minutes, the number of people going to the hospital will drop to one-fourth of what it would be with 5-minute exams.

"This is a veiled form of martial law. It’s a curfew imposed on people, and they’re trying to make it sound appealing by presenting it as a 20-minute exam for each patient."

Dokuzoğuz added that they expect examination times to return to previous levels, saying, "We wish it weren't so, but we are certain of it."

Longstanding demands

Doctors have long demanded increased examination times, Dokuzoğuz said, adding, "Those who have not heard the demands made by physicians for years are now making this regulation for a war organization."

A minimum 20 minutes of time for examinations is a "scientific and professional necessity, not a political privilege," he added.

Patients' inability to find appointments has been a longstanding issue in Turkey, which continues despite 5 to 10 minutes of average examination times depending on the department.

Over 200 detained in Ankara raids ahead of NATO summit

23 June 2026

Dokuzoğuz argued that the patient-physician relationship has been compressed into short consultations due to patient density, capacity issues caused by closed state hospitals, and the lack of a tiered healthcare system. He added that this situation leads to unnecessary repeated tests, disrupts patient treatment processes, and forces patients to apply to healthcare institutions repeatedly.

No official statement has been made on the matter yet. In the online Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS) of the Health Ministry, examination times still appear as 10 minutes for many departments in Ankara and other cities.

Cosmetic preparations

Authorities are also making cosmetic arrangements in the city ahead of the summit schedule for Jul 7-8, which 32 world leaders will attend.

Defects on the roads where the convoys of NATO countries will pass are being fixed, and roads, bridges, and the facades of residential buildings along the route are being painted.

In addition, many main arteries in the city will be closed to traffic during the summit and will only serve country delegations.

The Etimesgut Airport routes, the Söğütözü Neighborhood where the Presidential Complex is located, the surroundings of the hotels where the leaders will stay, and their transit routes will be considered sensitive areas, where no one except authorized personnel will be allowed to enter. (VK)

Aybaş said that disability has not been an unchanging experience throughout history. Stating that disability acquires meaning in different ways across various periods, social structures, and geographies, Aybaş explained the history of disability through institutions, the concept of the norm, and struggles for rights.

"Disability has indeed been experienced differently in every geographical condition, every social formation, and every historical period," Aybaş said. She explained how disability has been defined from prehistoric times to the present and how these definitions have changed during her presentation.

Institutions and the struggle for a voice

Aybaş said in her presentation that it is necessary to look at institutions to understand the history of disability. She noted that structures such as boarding schools, rehabilitation centers, mental hospitals, and workhouses did not only provide care and education services.

These institutions produced knowledge about disabled people, made decisions regarding their lives, and often spoke on their behalf, she explained. She said that the experiences of disabled people were conveyed through doctors, educators, and institution managers for many years.

However, according to Aybaş, institutions were not solely exclusionary structures. These same institutions also paved the way for disabled people to come together, develop shared experiences, and establish organizations that would form the basis of the struggle for rights in later years:

On one hand, you isolate a certain disability group, but on the other hand, you bring them together. Institutions also became one of the important tools for organizing and gaining an identity.

Construction of normalcy and ableism

Aybaş also addressed the historical development of the concept of the norm in the presentation. She said that the understanding of standardization and efficiency that emerged in the modern era defined bodies accepted as "normal," and this process also shaped the understanding of disability.

Stating that people began to be classified according to certain criteria with industrialization and the rise of modern states, Aybaş explained that the concept of the norm became one of the important regulators of social life during this period. "The history of disability is also the history of normalcy," Aybaş said.

Expressing that ableism emerged as a result of this normative understanding, Aybaş said that the criticisms developed by the disability movement also questioned the idea of the "normal body."

'What makes a person disabled is the environment'

Aybaş also touched upon the social model approach that developed in the 20th century. According to this approach, she said that the source of disability is not the individual's body, but social and environmental arrangements. She reminded that disability was treated as a medical problem for many years. The social model objected to this understanding, looking for the problem not in the individual, but in the inaccessible environment and social structures.

She said that the social model was born from an objection developed by disabled people by centering their own experiences:

What makes a disabled person disabled is the environment, the social formation, the environmental arrangement. Inaccessible public spaces, working life, the education system, and social prejudices are among the primary mechanisms that produce disability. It is exactly at this point that the social model emerges as one of the main pillars for disabled people to speak as subjects of their own lives and for rights-based struggles.

'Glorifying people with disabilities is just as problematic as pitying them'

Meral Sözen, who spoke in the third session of the day titled "Language, Representation, and Problematic Stereotypes in the Media," evaluated how disabled people are represented in the media through sample news stories.

Sözen structured her presentation around the themes of pity, over-glorification, and rendering invisible, which stand out in the representation of disabled people in the media. Saying that these forms of representation mask the rights violations faced by disabled people, Sözen stated that the real issue in journalism is not finding the right word, but rather understanding disability as a domain of rights.

Expressing that the language constructed about disabled people shapes social perception, Sözen emphasized that news stories should be prepared from a perspective that makes rights violations visible.

'We turn news of rights violations into stories of pity'

Sözen gave the example of a protest by a visually impaired teacher, who could not access accessible course materials, being reported under the headline "heartbreaking images." Stating that the teacher's demand was not a special privilege but one of their most fundamental rights, Sözen said that the rights violation at the center of the story was pushed into the background by the choice of headline:

"When it comes to disabled people in the media, a reflex of pity often kicks in. This approach diverts the reader's attention away from the problem itself. Journalists should not tell the reader what to feel. We turn news of rights violations into stories of pity."

Stating that such presentations render rights violations invisible, Sözen said that the problem experienced by a teacher who cannot access accessible educational materials should be treated as a public matter of rights rather than an individual story of victimization.

Over-glorification

Sözen stated that another frequently encountered problem in the media is over-glorification. She expressed that the daily lives and achievements of disabled people are often presented as extraordinary events, which is a common form of representation in the media.

Expressing that this approach heroizes disabled people instead of viewing them as ordinary individuals, Sözen stated that rights-based journalism should make structural problems visible rather than producing personal perseverance stories.

Pointing to the reporting of a disabled student's or engineer's success solely because they are disabled as an example, Sözen said that such news stories focus on narratives of personal perseverance while masking structural inequalities.

'Hesitating to say blind is also a form of rendering invisible'

Sözen reported that expressions such as "special individual," "individual with visual differences," or "individual affected by visual impairment" render disability invisible, even though they are often used with good intentions. Stating that such expressions attempt to describe disability through indirect means rather than naming it directly, Sözen said that viewing disabled people as fragile or in need of protection feeds these language choices.

Criticizing the perception of the word "blind" as rude, Sözen expressed that blindness is not a condition to be ashamed of or hidden. According to Sözen, the problem is not the use of specific words, but rather that disability is viewed as a deficiency or defect.

Sözen stated that expressions like "our brothers and sisters" also establish a hierarchy instead of equality:

Disabled people need to be seen as subjects with rights, not as objects of aid or mercy. Journalism in the field of disability also needs to operate from a perspective of equal citizenship and rights rather than a protective language.

Sözen emphasized that journalism in the field of disability cannot be reduced to language debates, and that the real issue is developing an approach to journalism that views disabled people as subjects with rights. (EG/VK)

During the introduction session, participants spoke about the rights violations they had encountered over the past 24 hours. They shared a variety of experiences ranging from sexism and accessibility issues to violations of freedom of expression and barriers to the right to education.

'We must question the language we construct'

IPS Communication Foundation Research Coordinator Sinem Aydınlı began her presentation in the "Rights-based journalism approach" session by sharing an experience from three years ago while teaching a university class. Explaining how she realized that a human figure she drew on the whiteboard was a "standard" person with two arms and two legs, Aydınlı said this helped her recognize her own ableist perspective.

"The moment I drew a human as a figure with two hands and two feet, I defined the norm," Aydınlı stated, noting that discrimination is often reproduced invisibly within daily life.

Emphasizing that rights-based journalism requires professionals to confront their own biases and constantly question the language they use, Aydınlı said, "We have to think about our own thinking and question the language we construct."

Aydınlı also addressed the importance of language use, stating that the main issue in journalism is ensuring equal participation rather than simply generating sensitivity or awareness:

Violence begins in language. If it begins in language, it can also be transformed through language. For this reason, we need to not only make violations visible but also follow up on them and track what has or has not changed.

'What disables a person is the environment'

Elif Nur Aybaş provided a brief introduction to the history of disability during the "Introduction to disability rights" session. Stating that disability has been experienced in different ways across every era and society, Aybaş focused on three themes to understand this experience: the contextuality of disability, institutions, and the concept of the norm. Aybaş noted that the experience of disability has changed throughout history, explaining that contemporary concepts and policies have been shaped by historical processes.

Touching upon the role of institutions in the lives of disabled people, Aybaş said that structures such as boarding schools, rehabilitation centers, and psychiatric hospitals isolate disabled individuals from society on one hand, while bringing them together around shared experiences on the other:

When you place a group inside an institution, you isolate them. At the same time, you establish a new structure that will hold authority over that group's life.

Addressing the development of the disability rights movement, Aybaş stated that the social model views disability not as an individual deficit, but as the result of social and environmental barriers. "What disables a person is the environment; it is social arrangements, the physical environment, and cultural perceptions," Aybaş said, emphasizing that the struggle for disability rights is built around the demand for equal participation and reclaiming agency.

'We need journalism that addresses disabled people directly'

Meral Sözen examined how disabled people are represented in the media using examples from news stories during the "Language, representation, and problematic stereotypes in the media" session. Sözen stated that disabled people are frequently represented through tropes of pity, exceptionalism, and invisibilization.

Providing an example of the language of pity, Sözen criticized how a protest by a visually impaired teacher over the lack of accessible educational materials was reported under a headline describing the event as "heart-wrenching scenes." She noted that the daily lives and achievements of disabled individuals are also frequently presented as if they are extraordinary anomalies.

Sözen pointed out that some news stories completely invisibilize the experiences of disabled individuals, giving the example of a student who completed university with the support of his mother due to an inaccessible education system, where the narrative was built entirely around the "sacrificing mother":

Disability needs to be treated as an area of human rights. There is no need to hesitate to use terms like blind, visually impaired, deaf, or autistic. We do not need journalism about disabled people; we need a journalistic approach that addresses disabled people directly.

Structural problems remain invisible

Journalist Umut Koşan spoke about how disability is represented in news stories and shared the experiences of disabled journalists in the media sector during the "Disability as a news element and a media worker" session.

Koşan stated that disability is often defined through a binary of "can" and "cannot," arguing that this approach is produced by social norms, the economic order, and existing policies rather than individual characteristics.

He shared examples from his own career as a journalist, detailing the discrimination and biases he has encountered in the profession, and emphasized that disability is not a monolithic experience.

He noted that the media frequently frames disability through individual success or deficiency narratives:

This approach makes the structural problems faced by disabled people invisible. Rights-based journalism, however, needs to direct its focus toward the conditions that produce inequality, rather than what individuals "can" or "cannot" do.

(EG/VK)

"At the point we have reached, we are working on a legal framework that will accelerate the liquidation process of the PKK," Erdoğan said in a speech to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group. "After holding the necessary consultations, we will present the regulation in question to the discretion of parliament without much delay." 

The current peace process began after Devlet Bahçeli, Erdoğan's key ally and the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), suggested in Oct 2024 that imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan could be released by utilizing the right to hope in exchange for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) dissolving itself.

Bahçeli proposes formal status for Öcalan to guide PKK dissolution

18 May 2026

The PKK declared its dissolution at a congress in May last year and later held a symbolic disarmament ceremony. Subsequently, a commission was established in parliament in the second half of the year to determine the legal process regarding the peace process. The commission completed its work in December.

While no other concrete developments have taken place in the process so far, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has been regularly calling on the ruling bloc to create the legal framework.

Parliamentary committee passes final report on Kurdish peace process

18 February 2026

Impact of regional developments

Erdoğan also highlighted the impact of regional developments, which slowed down the peace process in Turkey. "We would very much wish to resolve this 50-year-old issue swiftly and put it behind us. Unfortunately, the dynamic geopolitical situation our region is currently facing makes it essential for us to address multiple crises simultaneously and to proceed with the utmost caution," he said. 

He welcomed the Syrian Kurdish forces’ integration into the Syrian interim government, which he said was “one of the biggest obstacles in front of the process.”

Syrian Kurds and the Damascus government reached an integration agreement in January after Kurdish-led groups lost most of the Arab-majority territory they held after weeks of clashes.

INTERVIEW WITH MP CENGİZ ÇANDAR

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

9 February 2026

“The Iranian crisis has certified that the process is of vital importance not only for our country and region but also for our Kurdish brothers,” Erdoğan continued. “Thanks to the positive atmosphere and dialogue channels provided by the process, greater seditions that would also harm our Kurdish brothers have been prevented.

"I will suffice to say only this here: It will be seen more clearly in the future what a bloody, what an insidious game we have disrupted as Turks, Kurds, Arabs, and Persians.”

In the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on Feb 28, the prospect of supporting Kurdish armed groups in Iran against the Tehran administration gained traction. US President Donald Trump claimed that they had sent weapons to the Kurds but that they kept them for themselves rather than supplying them to insurgent groups, which was denied by Kurdish groups.

PKK rejects US-Israeli war on Iran: 'Kurds are not anyone’s soldiers'

13 March 2026

(VK)

The groups demanded the immediate release of the detainees, which include LGBTI+, women, and feminist rights defenders, as well as lawyers, academics, labor union representatives, and human rights activists.

In its official statement, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office did not directly link the operation to the upcoming NATO summit. It claimed the suspects were alleged members of ISIS and various Marxist armed organizations.

A 24-hour restriction on consulting lawyers expired today, and the detainees have begun giving their statements to authorities.

"Being a journalist, lawyer, or academic is not a crime. LGBTI+ rights advocacy is not a crime," the joint statement said, adding that the operation was an attempt at criminalization:

Among those detained are people who had previously been publicly targeted, as well as many others of different ages, professions, and areas of struggle who are not under investigation or facing any charges. This situation demonstrates that the operations are not limited to individuals, but aim to criminalize the LGBTI+ movement, the feminist struggle, revolutionary youth movements, the labor movement, human rights defenders, and spaces for democratic organization. It criminalizes the LGBTI+ movement, the feminist struggle, revolutionary youth movements, the labor movement, the human rights movement, and spaces for democratic organization.

Freedom of association in Turkey has long been subject to attempts to suppress it through bans, closure cases, investigations, administrative pressures, and targeting. House raids are an attempt by a policy that views human rights defenders and democratic struggles as a ‘security threat’ to intensify this suppression.

Human rights defenders are not a security threat. Freedom of association cannot be targeted under this pretext.

Yıldız Tar’s arrest during a house raid just one day before the third hearing of their trial on Jun 24 is a clear intervention directed at LGBTI+ journalism, human rights advocacy, freedom of association, and the collective memory of the LGBTI+ movement. What is being targeted through Yıldız Tar is the right of LGBTI+s to be heard, to report the news, to organize, and to show solidarity.

Yıldız Tar is not alone. LGBTI+ journalism cannot be silenced.

As LGBTI+ organizations, we see that these operations, carried out under the guise of NATO security, are fueling a climate of fear and are the result of a policy that demonizes social opposition and the struggle for rights. Journalists, LGBTI+ rights advocates, feminists, lawyers, academics, labor organizations, revolutionary youth, and human rights defenders have the right to freedom of expression.

It is not the defense of rights that poses a threat to Turkish democracy, but rather security-oriented policies that suspend rights at will.

For these reasons, the immediate release of Yıldız Tar and everyone currently in detention, as well as the lifting of the restrictions on attorney visits and the pretrial detention order in the case, are matters of urgency.

LGBTQ+ rights advocacy, organizing, and journalism are not crimes!

We know our rights, and we will not give up our lives or our struggle.

(TY/VK)

The first incident took place around 7.30 am local time in the northern province of Kastamonu. A fixed-wing drone crashed into a hazelnut orchard in the Kuşkayası village of the Cide district.

The drone crashed with a loud noise and caught fire immediately after the impact, the Kastamonu Gündem newspaper reported citing locals. Parts of the drone were scattered around the yard of a residential house where it fell.

Gendarmerie teams inspected the fixed-wing drone after the orchard owner, Musa Zilan, reported the incident. Authorities are investigating to determine the origin of the weighed about 200 kilos.

"We had a narrow escape," Zilan said. "If the drone had come 10 meters further, our house would have been gone."

In the northeastern province of Samsun, citizens reported finding an engine on the ground in the Alaçam district in the morning. Gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the area following the notification. 

A fixed-wing drone similar to the one in the first incident was found hanging on a tree. 

Previous incidents

Drones, which are heavily used by the parties in the Russia-Ukraine war, have previously crashed on Turkish territory. The most recent incident occurred on Jun 15 in Bartın, another Black Sea province, where a shattered drone was found on the coast.

Additionally, a combat drone entered Turkey over the Black Sea in December and was shot down by Turkish F-16s within the provincial borders of Ankara. This was followed by an another incident where a drone crashed in Kocaeli a few days later.

Turkey warns Russia, Ukraine over Black Sea drone incident

18 December 2025

(VK)

The ruling was issued on Jun 12 by the İstanbul 5th Penal Judgeship of Peace, according to the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), a group monitoring online censorship in Turkey.

The banned apps HeeSay, Taimi, SCRUFF, Jack’d, Surge, ROMEO, BEARWW, Shuggr, and Daddyhunt.

The decision follows an order to ban Hornet, another queer dating app.

During the 2026 Pride Month, authorities also blocked access to X accounts of many LGBTI+ groups.

Turkey blocks access to queer dating app Hornet

17 June 2026

Turkey bans access to LGBTI+ groups' social media accounts

22 June 2026

(VK)

The report is based on field data from the Center for Social Impact Research and was prepared through telephone interviews conducted between Dec 4 and Dec 12. Researchers interviewed 1,741 young people aged 18 to 35 across 47 provinces and 255 districts.

Olcay Özer, co-director of Hafıza Merkezi, evaluated the practical implications of the report data for bianet.

Lack of participation

According to the report, 70.7% of young people believe social peace is possible. However, only 35.8% think youth are included in the negotiation process. While 52.2% of young people feel anxious or skeptical about the process, 50.7% state that they support it.

According to Özer, this picture shows that young people maintain their hope for peace, but they have serious question marks about how the process will be established and where they stand in it. Özer emphasized that the prominent emotion among youth is anxiety rather than anger.

"Some 52.2% of young people are anxious, while 42% are angry. This is a significant difference," Özer said.

A generation raised amidst conflict

According to Özer, the generational experience of young people must be considered when evaluating the report. A significant portion of the youth aged 18 to 35 did not directly experience the conflict period of the 1990s. They witnessed the 2013-2015 resolution process during their childhood, adolescence, or early youth. In the following years, they grew up in an environment of conflict and polarization.

The report states that 83.9% of young people feel a sense of belonging to Turkey and society. Conversely, 70.1% view the course of the country negatively. According to the youth, the most important problems of the country are the economy and unemployment, followed by law and justice. The category of "national security/terrorism" ranks near the bottom at 1.9%.

Survey: Nearly 60% of public views Öcalan’s call for PKK disbandment positively

6 March 2025

A matter of justice, not security

Özer said this data demonstrates that young people do not interpret the negotiation process through a security-centered lens, but rather through the axis of daily life, justice, and equality.

"Young people do not read the Kurdish issue and the negotiation process through security. Only 1.9% of young people view this issue as a security matter," Özer said.

According to the report, the demands of young people regarding peace concentrate on the topics of equal citizenship, law and justice, and gender equality. Strengthening the rule of law, individual freedoms, facing the past, eliminating socioeconomic inequalities, and gender equality also stand out among the conditions for peace.

Confronting the past

One of the most striking findings for Hafıza Merkezi is the demand to face the past. Some 88.8% of young people view facing the past as one of the conditions for social peace. According to Özer, this demand is linked to the desire of young people to "learn the truth" about periods they did not personally experience.

The report also highlights the limited spaces for political discussion. Some 49% of young people stated that members of their childhood homes were cautious or silent when politics was discussed. Furthermore, seven out of 10 young people feel uneasy when sharing political views on social media. Özer stated that politics being unspeakable within the family and the public sphere increases the need for young people to know and discuss the past.

Mother tongue and equal citizenship

Özer does not agree with the view that young people are indifferent to the negotiation process. According to the report, the agenda of the youth is not "completely different," but confusion exists on topics such as equal citizenship, the mother tongue, and facing the past. Therefore, he stated that discussion spaces need to be established simply, safely, and topic by topic.

In the report, 48.4% of young people stated they witnessed negative reactions when Kurdish was spoken in public spaces. While support for the official recognition of Kurdish is 36% in the general sample, this rate rises to 76% among youth whose mother tongue is Kurdish.

The proportion of young people who state they are open to forming close friendships with people from different political views, religious beliefs, and ethnic identities is high. However, the rate of those who say they could be close friends with someone of a different sexual orientation remains at 41%. Özer stated that the demand for equal citizenship is strong, but the limits of this demand must be discussed.

Safe dialogue spaces for youth

Hafıza Merkezi and GoFor plan to share the report findings with political parties, policymakers, journalists, and academics. According to Özer, the fundamental conclusion to be drawn from the report is that young people should be approached as subjects of the process, rather than just "potential voters" during election periods.

"It is necessary to create safe discussion spaces and grounds for dialogue. We need to listen to this call for dialogue from the youth," Özer said. (NÖ/VK)

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the operation targeted suspected members of armed groups, including ISIS and various Marxist groups such as DHKP/C, TKP/ML, THKP/C, and MLKP. However, members of labor unions, lawyers' associations and socialist youth groups were also among the detained.

The detainees were suspected members of ISIS and Marxist armed groups, such as DHKP/C, TKP/ML, THKP/C, and MLKP, according to a statement from the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. 

Additionally, lawyers' groups, labor unions and environmental groups were targeted.

Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of the LGBTI+ website Kaos GL, was among those taken into custody.

A 24-hour restriction on lawyer consultations was imposed on those detained, ANKA news agency reported.

Reactions 

Journalism organizations condemned the detention of Tar, noting that the operation occurred just one day before a scheduled court hearing in an existing case against the journalist.

The Press Workers' Union (DİSK Basın-İş) said, "We will not allow the political power to silence the social opposition, intimidate journalists and rights defenders with detentions. Our colleague Yıldız Tar, and everyone else detained, must be released immediately."

Erol Önderoğlu, the Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), called the detention unacceptable. "The fact that it is an international summit does not justify the detention of our colleague for security reasons. They must be released," he said.

The Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD) and the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) Ankara Branch also condemned the detention.

The Contemporary Lawyers' Association stated that its members, lawyers Semra Demir and Kürşat Bafra in Ankara, and Doğa İncesu in İstanbul, were detained alongside many other citizens in dawn raids. "What is happening is not a legal process, but an operation to provide a rose garden without thorns to NATO before the summit," the association said.

The labor group Umut-Sen demanded the immediate release of those detained. "Many people, including our spokesperson Burcu Arıkan, were detained in house raids during the NATO operations organized in Ankara this morning. We will continue to stand against NATO and its imperialist collaborators," it said.

The Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) claimed the operations were an attempt to intimidate those opposing NATO: "We know the reason for this attack. They want to silence those who oppose NATO, which promises nothing but death, destruction, and war to peoples. They are trying to intimidate with pressure and detentions so that not a single voice rises against their masters, and they can welcome and host the killers of peoples on red carpets comfortably," the federation stated. The group added that the operations would not stop the anti-NATO movement.(NÖ/HA/VK)

X informed the affected organizations via email, according to Kaos GL. The decision was based on Article 8/A of Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed Through Such Publications.

The article states that a decision can be made to remove content or block access to internet publications if there is sufficient suspicion that the content constitutes specific offenses, including suicide incitement, sexual abuse of children, facilitating the use of narcotics, provision of dangerous substances for health, obscenity, prostitution, and providing space and opportunities for gambling. 

In its email to the associations, X stated that informing users about access ban requests is company policy. 

(AEK/VK)

The third hearing of the case took place today at the Milas 3rd Penal Court of First Instance. Işık and her lawyers attended the hearing, which was observed by Aydın Bar Association President Utku Devrim Barış Arslan, city and environment commission observers from the Aydın and İzmir bar associations, and Amnesty International representatives.

The prosecution repeated their opinion from Jun 1, requesting a prison sentence for Işık.

High court stays expropriation of land for coal mines near Akbelen Forest

7 May 2026

The prosecutor claimed that Işık used threatening and insulting language against a court delegation on Mar 30, during an exploration by the Milas 2nd Civil Court of First Instance regarding urgent expropriation determinations in the Karacahisar neighborhood.

The prosecutor requested that Işık be punished for the offenses of "consecutively resisting to prevent the performance of duty" and "publicly insulting a public official due to their duty."

'We are trying to defend our land'

Speaking against the opinion, Esra Işık said she repeated her previous defenses. "We have been trying to defend our village and our land for years. We have no intent to commit a crime," she said.

Işık stated that the law should not be made a tool to bleed social wounds and noted she did not agree with the opinion.

First visuals reveal extent of deforestation in Akbelen forest due to coal mining

19 March 2024

The lawyers of Işık also demanded her acquittal.

Arif Ali Cangı said the defense evidence in the file was not fully collected. The case was not only about the trial of Esra Işık, but that the urgent expropriation process and the intervention in the living spaces of the villagers were also the subject of this file, he argued.

Cangı noted that stay of execution decisions were given in lawsuits filed against urgent expropriation proceedings and expressed that a charge of resisting a public official cannot be established based on exploration proceedings that are not legally valid.

Olive groves turned into mining fields overnight: 'This is not just an environmental issue'

6 August 2025

Lawyer Timur Demirbaş stated that the right to the environment is a fundamental human right and said the action of Işık did not constitute a crime. Demirbaş stated that even if the court holds the opposite opinion, the incident should be evaluated within the scope of the "state of necessity" regulation of the Turkish Penal Code.

Lawyer Melike Özdemir Ballı also requested an acquittal, stating that Işık defended the right to live in a healthy environment guaranteed by Article 56 of the Constitution.

Ruling may be delivered next session

The court stated that the analysis of the videoconference records taken in the second hearing has not yet entered the file. It granted the parties time until the next session to submit written defenses against the opinion on the merits so that the right to defense is not restricted.

The court rejected the request of lawyer Arif Ali Cangı for the expansion of the investigation again, on the grounds that it was previously rejected with an interim decision.

The hearing was postponed to Jul 6,at 2.00 pm local time (GMT+3). The court also announced that a ruling may be delivered in the next session.

(HA/VK)

Police used tear gas yesterday against private school teachers on the seventh day of their hunger strike in Ankara.

The incident occurred when the teachers attempted to march to the Miner Statue in the Çankaya district. Several teachers and the union's lawyer were affected by tear gas. 

The teachers later continued their demonstration outside the Private Sector Teachers Union headquarters, vowing to continue their action until their demands are met. Families of the teachers also supported the protest. 

Demanding equal rights as public shool teachers, the teachers began an indefinite hunger strike on Jun 15.

Summer is 'job-hunting season' rather than vacation for private school teachers

8 June 2026

Why teachers protest

Private school teachers in Turkey face deteriorating working conditions and systemic financial insecurity, leaving a significant gap between them and their public sector peers.

A primary driver of the current situation is the 2014 repeal of the base salary right, which guaranteed that private sector educators could not be paid less than public school teachers. Following its removal and proliferation of private schools across the country, issues such as low wages, under-the-table cash payments, and missing social security updates became widespread.

Unlike public sector educators, private school teachers lack job security due to mandatory fixed-term contracts, which often span only nine or 10 months. This system leaves many without income during the summer vacation and forces them to seek seasonal employment.

Summer is 'job-hunting season' rather than vacation for private school teachers

8 June 2026

Teachers also report routine exploitation, with weekly schedules exceeding 45 to 50 hours. This includes unpaid weekend work, individual student tutoring, and tasks outside their expertise.

Furthermore, educators report being frequently registered under non-teaching titles like office or cleaning staff to reduce employer severance liabilities, while the threat of contract non-renewal is used to deter labor organizing.

(Mİ/VK)

The set has three different resistance levels and is designed for both lower and upper body workouts. The bands are used to support stretching, muscle activation, and general strength training.

The problem, however, is not with the technical function of the product, but with its presentation and marketing.

The brand chose a clear gender preference in the visuals for the bands, which are divided into three levels as light, medium, and hard. Images of women are used for the light and medium levels, while an image of a man is included for the hard level.

There is another detail that my friend drew attention to: The female figures use their lower resistance bands with two hands and a more cautious posture, while the male figure uses the band at the hardest level with a single hand, presenting a more relaxed and powerful image. Thus, not only the resistance level but also the perception of strength is reproduced through gender codes.

(TY/VK)

A draft bill approved by the parliament's planning and budget committee early this month lays out new press ethic rules for online and print news outlets. Violations of the rules can be reviewed upon a complaint by the affected parties or ex officio by the BİK.

The bill could effectively restore punitive power for the agency, which has long been criticized by press freedom groups, an opposition deputy said yesterday.

Evrensel newspaper hasn't received public ads for over 900 days

9 March 2022

"Since BİK was attached to the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, a bad and arbitrary management has dominated the institution," said Utku Çakırözer of the Republican People's Party (CHP).

The agency, which was founded in 1961 to ensure the fair distribution of public ads and support independent newspapers, has become an instrument to punish media outlets, he argued.

Seventy-six percent of the ad-cutting penalties in 2019 and 50 percent in the following year were imposed on only three newspapers, the secular pro-opposition Cumhuriyet, and left-wing papers BirGün and Evrensel.

Five newspapers got 88 percent of ad penalties by Press Advertising Agency

8 February 2021

The Constitutional Court in October concluded that the ad-cutting practices were arbitrary and disproportionate, and it annulled the agency's authority.

"But now you are asking us again for the authority to issue penalties," Çakırözer said, addressing the government. "If you attempt to rain arbitrary penalties on newspapers again through militant bureaucrats and pro-government professional organizations that receive this authority, it is against the Constitution."

CONTEMPORARY JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION

'Media Authorities Have Become Publicly Financed Executioners of the Press'

1 June 2020

Outlets resort to clickbaiting to get ads

Çakırözer also criticized the agency's ad placement policies, arguing that it encourages clickbait reporting. "Journalism and public benefit have been forgotten," he said.

Although print newspapers' right to receive public advertisements was extended to internet media in 2024, the requirements to qualify for these ads demand traffic and staffing levels that are exceptionally difficult for small outlets to meet. 

This forces smaller news sites to hire additional personnel and pivot toward clickbait journalism solely to secure advertising revenue.

Struggles of local press

Çakırözer further criticized the agency for misusing its funds and failing to provide adequate support for local journalism:

"There is a black box in front of us that turns limited resources, which should go to our Anatolian press and journalists who have to work for wages below the hunger limit, into executive bonuses for themselves, squanders them in works contrary to public procurement legislation, and these unaccounted expenditures are not audited in any way."

'Local journalists face increasing economic pressure from local interest groups'

31 August 2020

Local journalism: Pursuing truth under pressure

7 February 2025

(HA/VK)

The gathering took place in the Fenerbahçe neighborhood, an unannounced location chosen to circumvent the bans in a strategy activists have used in recent years.

During the demonstration, participants commemorated murdered trans people whose right to life was taken away. "We will build a world where trans people grow old and die," the activists said in a statement to the public.

12. İstanbul Trans Onur Yürüyüşü, Valilik ve kaymakamlıkların tüm yasaklamalarına rağmen yapılıyor:

"Yok yargı paketi, yok fiili hormon kısıtlamaları, yok beden uyum süreci yaşının anayasaya aykırı biçimde yükseltilmesi…

Tüm bu politikalarına rağmen ne yapıyoruz? Devletten… pic.twitter.com/ktmFrervkm

— bianet (@bianet_org) June 21, 2026

MP Özgül Saki from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party also attended the demonstration.

Police officers later arrived at the scene, surrounding the group and detaining several people, including journalists Yusuf Çelik and Doğa Tekneci.

12. İstanbul Trans Onur Yürüyüşü:

Kadıköy’de toplanan LGBTİ+’lar “Deniz’den Arya’ya poyraz olup eseceğiz” pankartıyla yürüyor. pic.twitter.com/TjeC2NMxfZ

— bianet (@bianet_org) June 21, 2026

Massive police presence in Taksim

Prior to the event, authorities deployed thousands of officers, particularly around Taksim Square and its surroundings, to prevent the pride demonstration.

The Beyoğlu and Kadıköy district governor's offices had anticipated the protest and declared bans on demonstrations across their respective districts. Police forces were also stationed at main avenues and public transit station exits throughout the city.

In Taksim, metro and funicular stations were completely shut down. Taksim Square remained empty while police officers blocked side streets leading to İstiklal Avenue. Authorities even restricted local residents trying to reach their homes, demanding proof that they lived in the area.

Because the actual demonstration took place in a completely different location, the heavy police deployment in Taksim guarded an empty area.

The statement

Full text of the statement read out by the activists:

Today we are holding the 12th Trans Pride March here.

The entire city is under blockade! But here at the 12th Trans Pride March, we are together, side by side, and strong! Because we imagine it, and it becomes reality!

What did we say this year? “To dream freely is a political act. Everything can be transformed, and everything can be questioned.” And we put our words into action! We dreamed freely! We transformed the city and its familiar paths!

Just as they’ve tried tirelessly in recent years, they once again attempted to blockade the entire city and stop us—but here we are again. We found each other in the streets, all across the city. We became each other’s solace and breath.

We, as trans people, are fighting against the boundaries imposed by patriarchal capitalism, states, and racist economic and gender regimes. We are organizing against the state’s policies targeting trans bodies. Whether it’s the 11th or 12th judicial package, the de facto hormone restrictions that have continued since the pandemic, or the unconstitutional raising of the age for gender-affirming care…

They’ve tried to restrict hormone use arbitrarily and unlawfully. But despite all these policies, what are we doing? We’re living our lives—with hormones, without hormones. We’re living our lives with our own resources, through our solidarity, and in defiance of them; we’re living our lives without ever tiring of demanding from the state what is rightfully ours.

This year, despite being one of the years in which we’ve felt the state’s oppression and violence the most, we haven’t given up on our organizing. We were outside hospitals protesting hormone restrictions, and we were in the subways and on the streets exposing policies of hatred.

The state’s policies of demonizing trans people went as far as the imprisonment of our friend Eylem. But we did not give up! In every space we occupied, we reminded everyone at every opportunity that trans people are present throughout the city

We trans people live every day, every moment—despite the hatred and violence directed at our bodies, minds, and dreams, which show everyone that another way of living is possible. We live in spite of the pressure and suppression policies of family, society, and the state that uphold that entirely fabricated, “normal” that no one can fit into—that damn “normal.” We will not be silenced! We will not apologize for our existence!

We stand united with the anger and grief of our friends whom you have denied the right to live. We lost Eylül Cansın in 2015. It is a heavy burden to live with the sorrow of people who, even as they faced death, thought of the dog they shared their life with; that is why, despite all the oppression, we are here today with Eylül’s sorrow. We are here with the defiance of Deniz, whom you wouldn’t even let stay in your own home! And what about Okyanus Efe? After his father and uncle told him, “Hang yourself so we can be rid of you,” Okyanus Efe took his own life, leaving a note that read, “What good is being ‘normal’ anyway?” Yet we have not a single friend to lose to your system. We trans people want to die of natural causes.

We want to create a society where trans lives are valued and where we can freely mourn the friends we’ve lost. Let this be our pledge to all our murdered friends: we will build a world where trans people die of old age!

We are here to demand justice for Hande Kader, Poyraz, Arya, Cindy Çağla, Dora Özer, Okyanus Efe, Roşin Çiçek, Ecem Seçkin, İrem Okan, Nida Nazlıer, Selen Özkula, Dilek İnce, Gökçe Saygı, Mira Güneş, and Günay Özyıldız.

Even as the state and its instruments of violence surround us trans people from all sides with policies of hatred, we will continue to be here. We refuse to accept their control over either our bodies or our lives!

We want to create a society where trans lives are valued and where we can freely mourn our friends we’ve lost. Let this be our promise to all our friends who have been murdered: we will build a world where trans people live to a ripe old age!

We are here to demand justice for Hande Kader, Poyraz, Arya, Cindy Çağla, Dora Özer, Okyanus Efe, Roşin Çiçek, Ecem Seçkin, İrem Okan, Nida Nazlıer, Selen Özkula, Dilek İnce, Gökçe Saygı, Mira Güneş, and Günay Özyıldız.

Even as the state and its instruments of violence surround us trans people from all sides with policies of hatred, we will continue to be here. We refuse to accept their control over either our bodies or our lives!

Our rebellion is enormous, and we stand in these spaces with the resilience of the trans sex workers who went on a hunger strike at Gezi in ’87. We do not want to be the first to be abandoned, the first to be cast aside! Whenever skyscrapers are built in a neighborhood, it is always trans sex workers who are exiled from their living spaces. It is also sex workers who have resisted police violence and torture across the city. Let those who drive sex workers out of this city, who seal their homes, who narrow their streets—and then pretend this violence is invisible—know this: We have not forgotten. We know on which street whom was subjected to violence, at which police station whom they tried to silence, and in which court which perpetrator was protected. We also know which homes were sealed off and which doors were forced shut by the police. Those seals are the criminal record of this system that seeks to uproot trans women sex workers from their homes, their streets, and their lives.

We also know how these attacks go unpunished. We know which perpetrators hide behind which uniforms, which courts, and which forms of masculinity. Do you know what was said about Volkan Hicret, the police officer who murdered Hande Buse Şeker? “A simple act of murder.” We are here today with the grief and resistance of Hande Buse, Çağla Joker, Esra Ateş, and all the murdered sex workers! May your heteronormative, patriarchal family system go to hell!

So what exactly are they forcing upon us under the guise of “family”? What does their “sacred” family mean for our lives? “Family” means the erasure of trans children, the mutilation of intersex children, the exploitation of women’s labor, their murder, and their exposure to male violence. To those who say we are “destroying the family,” we say: Your accusations are correct—we reject your family, which is a breeding ground for violence against women and trans people! Long live our trans-feminist solidarity against your “sacred” family!

Our voices, which rose through a hunger strike in Gezi Park in 1987, led to the establishment of associations and organizations in the 2000s; trans people have repeatedly recreated their own movements in the face of both state violence and their erasure within the movement; they threw the first stone at Stonewall and resisted from Taksim to Kadıköy. WE WILL NEVER FORGET VOLTRANS, KADIN KAPISI, AND T CLUB. Following the drag queens who were at the forefront of clashes with police during the Gezi protests,

the Pride March reached 100,000 people. Now, too, we are not silent—we are in the streets; we are not hidden—we are organized. From Taksim to Kadıköy, we have blown like the Poyraz wind, and we will continue to blow!

Two days before our Pride March, they tried to shut down our social media channels that mention LGBTİ+. Despite the mainstream media, acting as the state’s mouthpiece, singling us out as targets, they failed. They think that without our social media, we won’t be able to find each other; they think that if they target us, they’ll get a response.

They say “peace”! What do they understand by peace? They don’t understand that there can be no peace without trans people. They’re holding a NATO summit in the coming weeks! The people are being crushed by poverty, yet they’re opening an airport for heads of state. Erdoğan continues to act as America’s watchdog in the Middle East! Their understanding of “peace” is nothing more than the power and wealth of Erdoğan and the capitalist clique around him, all under the guise of a “Strong Turkey.” They’re taking sides in the wars raging across the globe; capitalism is trying to solve the deep poverty it has created through war, death, and exploitation. The AKP hasn’t taken a single step toward the peace process; from the Kurds’ perspective, neither Bakur, nor the Syrian territory, nor Rojava is safe.

The genocide in Palestine continues, and the US and Israel are waging their war against Iran, but we insist on peace.

We, as trans people, are here to tear down the boundaries imposed by patriarchy, capitalism, states, and colonialists. For a long time now, trans and queer people have been targeted by fascist attacks. Let’s repeat: No matter what they put us through, they cannot steal our dreams. We dream of and will build a society where we dismantle fascism—a society where trans people live freely, have access to hormones, study, work, and grow old in peace, with bread and justice!

Long live our trans existence, long live our Trans Pride March!

(VK)