TURKEY: Military Plane Crashes & more – 18th Nov 2025

Merhaba from BA! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 18th of November twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Wednesday the 12th, a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijan border, killing twenty soldiers and shaking the country. The aircraft disappeared from radar shortly before impact during a training mission, prompting Turkey and Georgia to launch a joint investigation. The next day, the Defense Ministry grounded the entire C-130 fleet for safety checks, a move that signaled growing concern about the aging transport aircraft.

On Friday the 14th, the military held a funeral in the capital, Ankara, where families, officials, and service members gathered to honor the soldiers.

The tragedy sparked debate over maintenance standards and the long-term need to modernize Turkey’s fleet.

Next up, on Thursday the 13th, Turkey’s football world convulsed after the Turkish Football Federation imposed temporary bans on 102 players amid a widening illegal-betting probe. The move hit top-flight and second-tier clubs, and followed earlier suspensions of referees and arrests of officials. The incident forced match suspensions in lower leagues and sparked police investigations into betting networks and money flows.

Fans and clubs scrambled to understand immediate team impacts while the federation framed the action as a clean-up of long-running integrity problems. The probe could reshape transfer windows, club finances and refereeing in the short term as prosecutors and sporting bodies press for firm penalties.

In other news, on Sunday the 16th, Turkey stepped into the global climate spotlight after pushing a joint leadership plan with Australia for the twenty twenty-six U.N. climate summit, known as COP31. The two countries have been stuck in a hosting standoff since twenty twenty-two, and the government presented co-presidency as a way to break the deadlock and give developing nations more space in climate diplomacy.

However, the U.N. expressed concerns about how a joint presidency would fit within its procedures. Australia, backed strongly by Pacific island nations, also raised legal concerns about shared hosting. Turkey then signalled it is ready to host the summit alone if needed.

The move shows Turkey trying to boost its climate profile ahead of its twenty fifty-three net-zero goal and secure more influence over global climate finance.

Meanwhile, on Thursday the14th, Le Monde revisited growing concerns about Turkey’s shifting stance toward Uyghur refugees. Over the past year, several arrests and fast-tracked deportation orders signaled a clear break from the country’s former open-door approach. The cases included Hocamniyazov Kurbancan, a permanent resident who was detained after returning from a pilgrimage in twenty twenty-four and sent to a deportation center, as well as others, whose appeals continue after courts ordered their direct removal to China rather than to third countries, which had been the earlier practice.

For years, President Erdoğan, who leads an Islamist-nationalist administration, described Uyghurs as a brotherly Turkic community and spoke strongly about China’s treatment of them. In that light, the recent deportation decisions sparked questions about shifting political priorities, Turkey’s growing interest in deeper ties with China, and why earlier public support for Uyghurs no longer guides government policy in the same way.

Check out the piece with the link in the show notes.

Also on Friday the 14th, Istanbul prosecutors expanded a large money-laundering probe tied to exchange offices in the historic Grand Bazaar, detaining dozens and seizing assets. Authorities said the operation targeted complex currency-flow schemes and digital payment networks allegedly used to launder illicit funds.

The raids followed earlier moves against suspect networks and came ahead of an International Financial Action Task Force or FATF review of Turkey’s anti-money-laundering steps.

The arrests fed debate on whether regulators are tightening enforcement or aiming to send a message to financial actors ahead of the FATF inspection. Market watchers said the outcomes could affect investor confidence and the lira if the probe widens.

On another note, on Saturday the 15th, international press-freedom groups put out a statement, stepping up pressure on the government, urging changes to media laws and the release of jailed journalists. The statement followed recent detentions and broad moves to limit social-media accounts during earlier protests and it landed at a sensitive moment as Turkey courts Western partners and investment.

Rights groups argued that shrinking space for independent reporting undermines public debate and warned that continued restrictions would draw international criticism.

The appeal also increased discussion on social platforms in Turkey, where many users debated the balance between national security measures and press freedoms.

Speaking of freedom of the press, on Monday the 17th, a court released Doğan Pehlevan, a cartoonist for the satirical LeMan magazine, under conditions including weekly reporting and a travel ban. He faced charges of insulting President Erdoğan. A court had already ordered his release last week in a separate case about his comics but he remained detained due to this last charge.

One cartoon that triggered charges depicted figures interpreted as Prophets Muhammad and Moses standing on bombs while greeting each other, sparking controversy online. Another set of illustrations was considered insulting to President Erdoğan, prompting prosecutors to seek a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months. Pehlevan and his lawyers argued that no evidence linked him to the alleged online posts, maintaining his innocence.

The case has reignited debates about media freedom and freedom of expression in Turkey.

Since we mentioned President Erdoğan… On Thursday the 13th, he reiterated that a two-state arrangement is the most realistic path to resolve the long Cyprus deadlock while meeting Turkish-Cypriot demands. The statement came during talks with leaders from the north and followed diplomatic outreach aimed at strengthening Turkey’s regional role.

The comments drew immediate reactions from Greek Cypriots and other European nations, weighing the island’s future. Analysts said Erdoğan’s framing signals the government’s willingness to press a bilateral solution that preserves Turkish Cypriot autonomy, while also testing how far Western partners will push for a different settlement.

On Sunday the 16th, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former leader of the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party, was one of the wedding witnesses of Berke Sevigen, the son of Mehmet Sevigen, who the party expelled four years ago after he said Kılıçdaroğlu “gave signals to terrorist organizations, the Gülenist Organization and the PKK.”

Former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, former İnterior Minister Süleyman Soylu, and several other political figures also served as witnesses.

The moment drew wide public attention because Sevigen’s earlier remarks had angered Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters, who viewed them as an unfair political attack, while his opponents felt strengthened. Many neutral citizens expressed fatigue over terrorism accusations being used as a political tool.

Davut Gül, the governor of Istanbul, has another agenda. He commented on the city’s stray animals. He said that feeding cats with commercial food has disrupted nature’s balance.

He said cats no longer hunt mice, and the rodents now share the food given to cats. Gül warned against casually leaving food on sidewalks, stressing that municipalities are responsible for sterilizing and managing animals in their natural habitats. He added that people who feed animals in public areas effectively give them ownership of those spaces, complicating local wildlife management.

The statements have triggered mixed reactions online, with some supporting stricter management and others criticizing the approach as overly harsh toward both animals and residents feeding them.

And to wrap up this edition, on Monday the 17th, Halil Konakcı, an imam working under the Presidency of Religious Affairs, questioned the religious permissibility of the state’s social housing project. The project aims to provide affordable homes for low-income families. However, Konakcı said the project is not fully compliant with Islamic law because buyers do not immediately gain complete ownership of their homes, and the total cost and payment terms are unclear. These conditions violate principles that require clear ownership, transparent contracts, and certainty in financial obligations.

The imam’s statements sparked debate on social media, with some supporting his caution over faith-based principles and others emphasizing the housing needs of low-income families, prioritizing solutions over religious concerns.

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

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