TURKEY: The Terror-Free Turkey Initiative & more – 13th May 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 13th of May twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Sunday the 11th, President Erdoğan ordered the Justice and Development Party or AKP to boost public support for the Terror-Free Turkey initiative, a controversial new process aimed at ending violence linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, which the government considers a terrorist group. The initiative includes calls for the PKK to fully disarm, and promises to expand Kurdish rights through legal channels.

While supporters view it as a peace step, critics argue it lacks transparency and could involve secret political deals. One of the main points of contention is the plan’s potential to include political compromises, especially regarding the fate of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Erdoğan instructed officials to emphasize to the families of fallen soldiers that the initiative will not grant amnesty to Öcalan.

AKP sources say support for the plan now nears sixty percent of people in Turkey, rising from below fifty just weeks ago.

The next day, on Monday the 12th, The PKK announced it had disbanded and laid down arms, triggering swift reactions across the political spectrum. Tanju Özcan, the Mayor of the northwestern city of Bolu and a Republican People’s Party or CHP politician, criticized the announcement. He said similar declarations had happened before and doubted the sincerity of the move, pointing to the PKK’s active branches in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Özcan argued that the government had made a secret deal with the organization and accused it of hiding it from the public.

The disbandment marks a dramatic shift in the long-running conflict, but skepticism remains high, especially among nationalist voices. Even though the ruling ally the Nationalist Movement Party played a leading role in initiating the process, many nationalists remain wary, questioning the plan’s true intentions and its potential to achieve lasting peace.

In other news, on Thursday the 8th, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned Mayor of Istanbul and the CHP’s presidential candidate, lost access to his Twitter account after a court order cited national security concerns, alleging that İmamoğlu’s posts incited criminal activity. Twitter stated that it complied with the order to shut down the account to avoid broader restrictions that could impact its operations in the country but is legally challenging the decision. The platform’s legal representative filed an appeal, emphasizing the importance of free expression and access to information. The account remains inaccessible in Turkey.

On Friday the 9th, a lawyer and a former CHP youth chair printed and handed out İmamoğlu’s blocked posts on the streets of Istanbul, then shared the images online. The next day, the police detained Saldıroğlu and charged him with insulting the president, citing İmamoğlu’s posts.

On a related note, on Sunday the 11th, Mustafa Kuleli, the Vice President of the European Federation of Journalists, criticized Europe’s silence regarding the politician’s imprisonment in a letter to Le Monde. Kuleli urged Europe to support Turkey’s democrats and called for action against the rise of authoritarianism. He pointed out that Europe’s pragmatic approach to Turkey, especially in areas like migration, regional security, and energy cooperation, had led the EU and international actors to overlook human rights abuses in exchange for political or economic benefits.

Kuleli argued this complacency had emboldened Erdoğan’s government, leading to a crackdown on dissidents. He warned that Turkey’s democratic decline isn’t just an internal matter but also poses serious risks to Europe’s future democratic norms.

Speaking of İmamoğlu’s arrest, on Sunday the 11th, a court denied the release of Esila Ayık, a university student arrested for carrying a banner reading Dictator Erdoğan during a protest against İmamoğlu’s imprisonment. The court ruled to extend her detention, citing flight risk.

Her lawyer said authorities ignored over one hundred pages of medical reports showing severe heart and kidney issues, as well as a report from the Istanbul Medical Chamber declaring her unfit for prison. Ayık remains in custody even though the Justice Ministry hasn’t granted prosecution permission, meaning no trial can begin.

This shows how dissent is increasingly criminalized in Turkey.

On the international front, on Friday the 9th, President Erdoğan told a diplomacy forum in the southern city of Antalya that Turkey had become a key stabilizing force in an unstable world. He described Turkey as a bridge between powers, pointing to its ties with both Russia and Ukraine, its influence in Syria, and its strong military within NATO.

That same weekend, its growing diplomatic role showed on two fronts. On Sunday the 11th, Hamas said it would release Edan Alexander, the last living United States-Israeli citizen held hostage in Gaza, after talks supported by Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt. Meanwhile, in South Asia, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a ceasefire with India, thanking Turkey for helping secure the deal after a deadly spike in violence.

Since we mentioned Russia and Ukraine, on Sunday the 11th, Donald Trump urged Ukraine to accept Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct peace talks in Turkey, emphasizing the need to end the ongoing conflict. That same day, Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to meet Putin in İstanbul on Thursday the 15th.

Initially, Ukraine and its Western allies proposed a thirty-day full and lasting ceasefire starting Monday the 12th. However, Putin suggested restarting negotiations without preconditions, rejecting the truce. Previous talks in Istanbul and Antalya have led to limited progress. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, continues to inflict heavy losses on both sides.

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Let’s talk about what’s going on in the parliament. On Wednesday the 14th, Parliament will begin discussing a bill that sets a thirty-five-year age limit for candidates applying to public institutions through profession-specific competitive exams. This includes institutions created by law or presidential decree, such as regulatory boards and upper-level public bodies. The proposed change aims to standardize age requirements across all state hiring practices.

Lawmakers will also debate a separate article allowing the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation to use state-owned land free of charge for its activities.

Another part of the bill sets a new method for choosing the president of the Court of Jurisdictional Disputes, requiring the Constitutional Court to select one of its own members for the post.

On Sunday the 11th, sixteen women who lost their jobs at İzmir’s Çiğli Municipality gathered outside the CHP headquarters in Ankara, demanding to be reinstated. They said the municipality fired them without any explanation nearly a year ago and that they have spent the past eleven months fighting to get their jobs back. After being ignored, they marched from İzmir to Ankara, calling it a walk for justice. Hale

Ören Özdinçer, one of the workers, said the party turned its back on their labor. The group announced they would remain outside the headquarters until they spoke with Özgür Özel, the CHP leader, about returning to work. Members of the Working Women’s Association joined the protest in support.

Also on Sunday, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, the leader of the Good Party, drove through the pedestrian-only Balıklıgöl complex in Şanlıurfa in his official vehicle. People were outraged as footage showed a full convoy, including security vehicles, entering the sacred site, where the Prophet Abraham is believed to have been born.

While politicians often visit Balıklıgöl, Dervişoğlu became the first party leader to tour the area in a car. The site normally limits entry to pedestrians and authorized vehicles. The incident sparked public backlash on social media, with many criticizing the disregard for the rules at one of Turkey’s most symbolic religious landmarks.

And to close this edition, on Sunday the 11th, Kübra Güran Yiğitbaşı, the Governor of Afyonkarahisar, drew criticism during the opening of a pet food facility run by the city’s CHP municipality. At the opening, she suggested inviting the local AKP branch to participate in similar events —despite the party holding no role in the municipality or governorate.

The comment quickly sparked backlash online, with many accusing her of undermining the political neutrality expected of her role. Critics said a governor shouldn’t promote a party.

Yiğitbaşı, who became Turkey’s first headscarf-wearing governor in twenty twenty-two, previously served as deputy minister for Family and Social Services, indicating close ties to the ruling AKP.

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

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