TURKEY: The Öcalan Commission & more – 25th Nov 2025

Merhaba from Islington This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 25th of November twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Wednesday the 19th, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, visited Ankara and held talks with President Erdoğan in a fresh push to revive stalled peace talks with Russia. The meeting put Turkey back at the centre of high-stakes diplomacy and underlined the government’s role as an interlocutor between Ukraine and other mediators. The visit coincided with renewed international concern about heavy Russian strikes in western Ukraine, which raised urgency for a diplomatic path.

Economists and markets watched Ankara closely because any diplomatic shift could reshape regional security ties and influence Turkish exports and logistics that run through the Black Sea corridor.

On Friday the 21st, a parliamentary commission’s plan to visit Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, stirred intense debate in Turkey. The commission, created to monitor PKK disarmament and reintegration, said the visit is part of a fragile peace track that could finally turn long ceasefire talks into concrete steps. Members from the Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party agreed to visit him, while the Republican People’s Party or CHP decided not to join the meeting.

Opposition figures warned that engaging Öcalan risks signalling acceptance of someone convicted of terror offences. Supporters framed the visit as practical, since Öcalan still holds symbolic influence among parts of the Kurdish population.

On a related note, on Saturday the 22nd, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former head of the CHP, shared a video on social media criticizing the CHP’s decision to skip the planned visit to Öcalan during the renewed peace discussions. He said the public expects the party to guide the reconciliation process and offer a moral compass at a time of regional tension. He framed this as part of the party’s historic mission to protect state interests and support stability.

He also addressed corruption investigations into several CHP municipalities. He said the party cannot move forward while carrying corruption allegations and urged a full internal clean-up to restore public trust.

Some members supported the clean-up suggestion as a moral reset, while others saw it as a challenge to current leadership. The public reacted with both cautious approval and skepticism on social media.

Also on Saturday the 22nd, Özgür Çelik, the Istanbul provincial head of the CHP, led a march to the studios of the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (or TRT), demanding that the trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of Istanbul from the CHP, and the party’s presidential candidate, be broadcast live on national television. The protest reflected the party’s frustration not only with the trial but also with broader concerns that state media is biased and suppressing dissent.

Police blocked the route with water cannon vehicles and set up a tight security cordon. Despite the blockade, the CHP group reached the TRT, where Çelik gave a press statement. He accused the TRT of acting as a partisan broadcaster, spreading false allegations against İmamoğlu, and stressed that the public has a right to transparency since the TRT is funded by taxpayers.

Speaking of investigations into the CHP, the prosecution’s next target appears to be Mansur Yavaş, the mayor of the capital, and his chief of staff, after the Interior Ministry approved an investigation into alleged irregularities in the city’s concert spending. Prosecutors say the municipality lost 154 million lira, over three million dollars, across thirty-two contracts, based on reports from civil‐service inspectors, the Court of Accounts, and the financial crimes authority.

Yavaş denounced the decision as a double standard and pledged to appeal to the Council of State, emphasizing his administration’s transparency and accountability. CHP figures echoed his criticism, with the deputy chair calling Yavaş a “model mayor” unfairly targeted while past mismanagement by others went unpunished.

The investigation adds to growing political tension as accountability and partisanship debates intensify across Turkey.

Meanwhile, there’s internal turbulence in the ultranationalist opposition Good Party, as Alparslan Yüce, who stepped down from his vice-chair role earlier this month, announced on Tuesday the 25th that he is leaving the party altogether. Yüce said the party’s ambition to become a centrist force has gradually narrowed into a reactive, short-term political stance.

He argued the Good Party’s attempt to balance center-right and nationalist lines often blurred its vision and created a trust problem with voters, while internal debates became defined more by who spoke than what was proposed.

Yüce said he resigned from both his post and membership because long-term policy work had fallen behind quick, tactical reactions. He framed his departure as a call for a deeper transformation in political culture rather than a personal break.

On the same day, Turkey confirmed it will host the next UN climate summit, COP31, in Antalya while Australia will lead negotiations under a split arrangement reached at COP30. The Turkish government framed the decision as a diplomatic win and a chance to spotlight Mediterranean climate risks and adaptation needs. Environmental groups welcomed the global spotlight but pushed for clear finance and adaptation commitments for vulnerable countries, like Pacific states. Business leaders flagged opportunities for green investment, especially in renewables and coastal resilience.

The deal also sparked debate in Turkey about who will shape the main negotiating texts, and how freedom of expression will look during the event. Some commentators said Australia’s lead role may limit Turkey’s influence on the final decisions.

In other news, on Tuesday the 25th, President Erdoğan spoke at an event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. He called violence against women and children a serious human-rights violation and said he would remain on the front line of efforts to combat it. Erdoğan stressed that protecting the family is key to preventing violence, arguing that every incident harms both families and society.

He highlighted government measures over the past twenty-three years, including tougher penalties, expanded shelters in municipalities with more than 100,000 residents, and more monitoring centers, alongside increased women’s workforce participation.

Public reaction was mixed: some welcomed his focus on human rights and continued commitment, while critics said his emphasis on family values overlooked deeper systemic issues and reinforced conservative, patriarchal norms.

On Wednesday the 19th, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority released figures and operational updates showing thousands of emergency interventions across Turkey this year, keeping disaster response and preparedness high on the week’s agenda. Government agencies emphasised multi-province training and improved coordination.

Critics welcomed readiness steps but pressed for faster retrofitting and clearer early-warning systems for floods and fires, citing the summer’s extreme weather and earlier wildfire losses. Local officials said budgets remain tight and urged more national support for rural fire crews and updated equipment.

The conversation kept climate resilience and public safety in public view as COP31 hosting loomed.

Pope Leo XIV’s scheduled visit to Turkey, set for later this month, dominated cultural and diplomatic chatter as leaders and religious communities prepared for meetings that include a pilgrimage to İznik and visits in Istanbul. The visit has a dual religious and diplomatic flavour: it stirs hopes among Christian minorities about the reopening of the Halki theological seminary, a historic institution for training Orthodox clergy that has been closed since nineteen seventy-one, and broader interfaith gestures, while the government sees the trip as a soft-power occasion.

Church leaders and ecumenical figures framed the trip as an opportunity to ease tensions, promote religious freedoms, and highlight Turkey’s historic role in Christian heritage. Security and logistics planning were the immediate practical concerns.

For our final story, Netflix announced it will release a documentary on the widely discussed Münevver Karabulut murder, one of Turkey’s most prominent femicide cases. The teaser for A Portrait of a Murder: The Münevver File shows clips from the original investigation and the heated debates in the press and courtrooms, quickly going viral. However, Netflix has not yet announced a release date.

According to a Bianet essay by Emine Özcan, on the 3rd of March two thousand nine, eighteen‑year-old Münevver Karabulut was found brutally murdered in a waste container in Istanbul. Her boyfriend, Cem Garipoğlu, the main suspect, evaded capture for 197 days before surrendering. The case drew massive attention, with accusations of police negligence, forensic errors, and possible premeditation. Discrepancies between evidence and Garipoğlu’s statements raised further questions, keeping the public debate alive.

Check the show notes for an article on the case.

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

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