TURKEY: Sırrı Süreyya Önder Dies & more – 6th May 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 6th of May twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Saturday the 3rd, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and a Democracy and People’s Equality Party MP, passed away at the age of sixty-two. He had been in a hospital following a heart attack and aortic rupture for eighteen days. Despite surgery and intensive care, he died from multiple organ failure.

On Sunday the 4th, thousands gathered at the Atatürk Cultural Center in Taksim for his memorial. Attendees included the Minister of Culture and Tourism, and Özgür Özel, the leader of the Republican People's Party (or CHP). Later that day, mourners held funeral prayers at the Barbaros Mosque before Önder was laid to rest at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

After Önder’s memorial, a perpetrator struck Özgür Özelwith in the face. Authorities later identified the assailant as someone with a violent criminal history. The incident raised concerns about the safety of political figures.

On the same day, Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the ruling ally Nationalist Movement Party or MHP, issued a statement condemning the attack without saying Özel’s name, probably avoiding mentioning an opposition figure in his speech. Bahçeli questioned whether the assault was an act of personal obsession or part of a broader political conspiracy, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation.

In other news, on Saturday the 3rd, a group of former Parliament Speakers led a public call demanding that the trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and the CHP’s presidential candidate, proceed without detention. They argued that Turkey’s democratic legal system depends on fair trials, judicial independence, and public trust.

They criticized İmamoğlu’s recent arrest for corruption allegations, saying authorities acted without solid evidence and relied on anonymous statements. They also questioned the sudden cancellation of his diploma from thirty-one years ago.

The group warned that targeting high-profile opposition figures with legal pressure threatens the rule of law. They called on courts to respect legal standards and release İmamoğlu while the trial continues.

Speaking of İmamoğlu, on Thursday the 2nd, he testified in a case involving his party’s General Congress held in November twenty twenty-three, where it elected Özgür Özel as the new leader. The party is accused of vote-buying. İmamoğlu emphasized that both this and his ongoing corruption case relied solely on anonymous witnesses, which he condemned, arguing they were part of a broader political plot to undermine democracy. He also questioned why the judiciary allowed such statements to be taken seriously without evidence.

Still on İmamoğlu, on Tuesday the 6th, his lawyer filed a lawsuit to overturn the cancellation of his client's university diploma. He chose the date deliberately, saying that on the same day in twenty nineteen, authorities annulled the İstanbul election İmamoğlu had won. He said the diploma cancellation violated constitutional and legal principles.

Back in March, İstanbul University invalidated İmamoğlu’s diploma, citing procedural errors. The move followed a criminal investigation into alleged document fraud.

The lawyer said that the lawsuit not only defends İmamoğlu’s rights but also the principle of the rule of law. The case adds to growing concerns about political pressure on the judiciary and deepens the cracks within the ruling party.

Meanwhile, on Monday the 5th, Hayrünnisa Gül, the wife of former President Abdullah Gül, who once belonged to the ruling AKP, called Dilek İmamoğlu, the wife of İmamoğlu, after his arrest and removal from office. She offered her support and shared her well wishes. Oda TV reported the call, adding that President Gül, who in recent years distanced himself from party lines, showed a quiet act of solidarity as well.

The gesture stood as a rare moment of support across political divides, and added to speculations that the ruling party is facing serious internal fractures.

On the same day, Ekrem Baki, a member of İstanbul’s Üsküdar district's Municipal Council, announced his resignation from the ruling AKP during a council meeting. Baki said that the recent political pressure on the opposition no longer aligned with his legal or political values. He left the party and will continue as an independent. After his statement, the CHP members stood and applauded, showing their support.

On another note, the 60th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, an international bicycle race held in the president's honor, was held between Sunday the 27th of April and Sunday the 4th of May. However, the tour was called into question as the İzmir Governor’s Office, a government institution, banned marathons, walks, and cycling races in the city last December, blaming traffic disruption. This ban forced the İzmir Municipality, an opposition institution, to cancel the internationally recognized Maraton İzmir, sparking public criticism.

Despite the same traffic concerns, officials made an exception for the Presidential Cycling Tour. Authorities announced road closures and transport changes across ten districts. Critics pointed to a double standard between the government and the opposition.

On Monday the 5th, a court in Ankara resumed the retrial of sixteen former officials in the 28th of February nineteen ninety-seven coup attempt case, after the Court of Cassation overturned their previous convictions. The defendants include retired generals, along with the former Higher Education Council head. They stand accused of aiding the nineteen ninety-seven military-led campaign that pressured the elected government to resign.

The prosecutor asked the court to drop charges against two defendants who have died, and called for prison sentences for the remaining fourteen. Defendants denied any role in the process and asked for more time for the trial, and the judge granted the extension. The next hearing will be held in October.

Next up, Tuesday the 6th marked fifty-three years since the executions of Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan, and Hüseyin İnan, three leftist revolutionaries who fought for an equal, independent, and socialist future. A military court sentenced them to death after the nineteen seventy-one coup, a military-led intervention aimed at suppressing leftist political movements. The trial, widely criticized as politically motivated and legally flawed, stemmed from their leadership in the People’s Liberation Army of Turkey.

Their executions have since become a symbol of resistance to military rule and the struggle for justice in Turkey. Crowds gathered at their graves in Ankara and across the country to honor their legacy.

In some international news, on Monday the 5th, Thomas Barrack, the new United States Ambassador to Turkey, arrived in the country to begin his post. He said he wants to strengthen ties between the two countries. Barrack replaces Jeff Flake, a former senator who stepped down last September. He plans to focus on rebuilding trust and ensuring closer alignment between Turkish and U.S. interests, especially around defense and energy policies.

People are split on the Istanbul earthquake. We reported last week that on the 23rd of April, a 6.3 earthquake shook İstanbul, sparking debate among experts. Some argue that more mid-sized quakes like this could ease pressure on the North Marmara fault and lower the risk for İstanbul. Others rejected that view, calling it unscientific and noting that over one hundred quakes above magnitude 4.0 since twenty nineteen had not reduced the threat of a major quake.

Well-known experts like Naci Görür and Celal Şengör also warned that a stronger earthquake remains likely. While some voices downplay the risk, others insist the danger hasn't passed.

And to close this edition, the Health Ministry announced a new system to improve access to basic healthcare, which will affect people whose family doctor is registered in a different city from where they live. Starting from Tuesday the 6th, if someone hasn’t seen their registered doctor or used health services in that city for a year, the system will automatically reassign them to a nearby doctor based on their current address. If people want to switch back to their previous doctors, they have a month after the reassignment of the new doctor to make the change through the national e-Nabız app.

The goal is to make preventive care, like cancer screenings and chronic illness checkups, easier to access.

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

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