TURKEY: Altaylı Arrested & more – 24th June 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 24th of June twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Friday the 20th, prosecutors accused dissident journalist Fatih Altaylı of threatening President Erdoğan due to a livestream on the journalist’s YouTube channel. During the show, Altaylı discussed public opposition to lifetime presidency and referenced Ottoman history, but the authorities took it as a threat.

On Sunday the 22nd, the police arrested Altaylı under laws relating to attacks on the president. His lawyer said the charges were legally unfounded and politically motivated. Altaylı denied the accusation, saying his words were historical commentary with no hostile intent.

On the same day, Altaylı’s team aired his empty chair in protest. Emre Acar, who co-hosts the program, said the ruling ignored both legal precedent and defense evidence, and vowed to keep speaking out.

Still on journalism, on Sunday the 22nd, journalist Murat Yetkin said Turkey avoided condemning U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites to hold onto its role as a mediator. He explained that Ankara delayed its response to avoid raising tensions and to protect the “terror-free Turkey” peace process.

On the same day, Yetkin said President Erdoğan spoke with both U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian to support that mediator role. He described the government’s stance as strategic—carefully balanced rather than openly critical.

Yetkin also warned that a prolonged Israel-Iran conflict could threaten peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers Party, a risk Erdoğan wants to avoid.

Speaking of the U.S-Iran conflict, on Sunday the 22nd, the US Department of State warned its staff and citizens in the Middle East to stay alert after a strike on Iran raised fears of retaliation. Officials flagged countries like Turkey, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates as potential hotspots for protests and unrest.

U.S. officials told staff in Turkey to avoid personal travel to twenty-two southeastern provinces, including Adana, Diyarbakır, and Şanlıurfa. The embassy also urged Americans to stay low-profile, avoid protest zones, and remain cautious in Western-linked areas.

Tensions keep rising across the region, as on Sunday the 22nd, President Erdoğan condemned the bombing and gun attack on the Mar Ilyas Church in Damascus, Syria, during Sunday Mass, where at least twenty people died and over fifty were injured. He expressed condolences to the families, the Syrian government, and the people, and said Turkey would continue to support Syria’s fight against terrorism. Erdoğan warned that terror groups aimed to push Syria back into chaos, and Turkey wouldn’t allow that.

Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State group for the deadly attack targeting worshippers during a church service. After the attack, Syria limited public visits to the church, citing security concerns, as international reactions continued to pour in.

Regional tensions continue to unfold on multiple fronts. On Saturday the 21st, a video from India stirred strong reactions after protesters were seen stepping on Turkish and Pakistani flags during anti-Pakistan demonstrations. The footage quickly spread on social media, drawing particular attention in Turkey.

Turkey has openly supported Pakistan with political and humanitarian aid amid the ongoing conflict with India. This support seems to have contributed to anger among some Indian protesters, who targeted both flags.

Onto some local news, on Monday the 23rd, discussions in the Istanbul Municipality Council escalated over budget allocations and borrowing permissions. Murat Türkyılmaz, the Group Spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP, criticized the municipality for not fully utilizing its borrowing capacity for metro projects, stating that while it authorized 210 billion liras, which is around seven billion dollars, the municipality used only 160 billion liras, around five billion US dollars.

In response, the Spokesperson for the main opposition the Republican People’s Party or CHP emphasized that borrowing limits are upper thresholds, not mandatory amounts, and that completing projects under budget should be a point of pride, not criticism.

In more updates from the CHP, on Tuesday the 24th, Muharrem İnce, the Homeland Party leader and former presidential candidate of the CHP, announced he would dissolve his party and return to the CHP. İnce founded the Homeland Party in twenty twenty-one after leaving the CHP over internal tensions. A court case later challenged the party’s congress, raising doubts about its future.

İnce said Özgür Özel, the leader of the CHP, invited him back with no backroom deals. He dismissed speculation that the decision was related to an upcoming court ruling challenging the legality of the Homeland Party’s most recent congress. İnce explained the party would close voluntarily before that hearing.

He stressed this wasn’t a political bargain, but a response to growing pressure for opposition unity. İnce also said he told former CHP chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu about the move.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the 24th, the Objective Research Center shared its latest survey results from May and June, focusing on voting intentions across the country’s thirty largest cities. The data showed that both the AKP and the Nationalist Movement Party or MHP, passed the electoral threshold nationwide. However, the MHP failed to cross the threshold in eleven key cities, including İstanbul and İzmir. These results suggested limited support for the MHP in several high-population urban centers, despite overall national gains.

The findings drew attention to the party’s weaker performance in areas where the opposition traditionally holds more ground, possibly signaling challenges for the party in future local or general elections.

In some updates on regulations. On Monday the 23rd, the Constitutional Court annulled a vague clause in the Civil Servants Law, which allowed the dismissal of trainee civil servants for behavior deemed incompatible with public service. Since the clause was too vague, an Administrative Court asked for a review, arguing the phrase lacked a clear legal definition and left room for arbitrary interpretation. The Constitutional Court agreed and emphasized that civil servants must know in advance which actions could lead to dismissal.

The decision appeared in the Official Gazette on the same day and will take effect next March, giving lawmakers time to update the legislation.

In some positive news, on Wednesday the 18th, the U.S. announced the resumption of student visa processing for international applicants. However, a significant policy change accompanies this decision: students, vocational trainees, and exchange visitors are now required to make their social media profiles public for government review.

This measure aims to improve national security by allowing consular officers to screen applicants for signs of hostility toward the United States, including support for terrorism or antisemitic behavior. Refusal to grant access to social media accounts may be viewed as an attempt to conceal information, potentially leading to visa denial.

The new requirement was called into question, citing potential bias, language barriers, and fairness issues for international applicants.

On Tuesday the 24th, Antalya Governor led a tourism safety meeting following public backlash over viral videos from last week showing sexually explicit behavior at entertainment venues and harassment of tourists by local workers. The meeting included local officials, security forces, municipal leaders, and civil society groups.

Authorities plan coordinated inspections across the tourism sector. These include checks on noise levels, underage workers, unsafe safari tours, alcohol service, and fire safety. The governor emphasized that the aim is not to hurt the sector but to protect it and ensure tourism continues responsibly. He said inspections would be fair, respectful, and ongoing through collaboration with industry leaders.

And to wrap up this edition, on Tuesday the 24th, İbrahim Yumaklı, the Agriculture and Forestry Minister, urged the public to be extra cautious as extreme heat raises the risk of wildfires. He said forecasts show an unusual rise in temperatures in the coming days, which could push fire risk to its peak.

Yumaklı reminded that preventing fires altogether is the real success and stressed that even a small act of carelessness can destroy forests and wildlife. He called on everyone to avoid risky behavior like burning stubble, lighting fires in wooded areas, tossing cigarette butts, or operating machinery without fire safety equipment. He also encouraged people to call emergency services at the first sign of smoke.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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