3rd Week of October: “Plenty of Talk, No Real Change”

Weekly Turkey Report: 3rd. Week of October 2025: “Plenty of Talk, No Real Change”

Turkey continues to sink deeper into a quagmire of economic crisis, lawlessness, and corruption. Investigations have finally begun—albeit slowly—into corruption and “asset-grabbing” allegations first raised four or five years ago by the exiled mafia leader Sedat Peker. Yet, figures with close ties to the AKP and the Presidential Palace are carefully kept outside the scope of inquiry—some even being transformed from suspects into witnesses upon political orders. Such selective operations are widely seen as both a gesture toward rebuilding ties with the United States and a warning shot to businessmen like Turgay Ciner, who have moved their assets abroad through legal channels.

However, the economy remains in disarray. The textile sector, unable to renew itself and now outcompeted by cheaper markets, is on the brink of collapse—yet Ankara has made no effort to restructure or support the industry. Inflation remains stubbornly high despite all official rhetoric. Even Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, during IMF meetings in Washington, conceded that inflation targets would not be met, blaming the failure on earthquake-related spending and agricultural losses from winter frosts.

In a rare public admission, even MÜSİAD—the conservative business association that supported Islamist politics long before the AKP’s founding—criticized the government’s economic policies, stating that the current crisis results from the lack of structural reforms since 2010.

The So-Called “Alevi Opening”

The Turkish Republic was built on an ethnic Turkish and Sunni-Islamic foundation, seeking since 1923 to mold all citizens into “Turkish Sunnis.” While Christians were erased from Anatolia through genocide and forced exile, non-Sunni groups—especially Alevis—were denied recognition, and the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) became an instrument of systematic Sunnification.

In a surprising move, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli called for an “Alevi opening,” declaring at his party’s parliamentary group meeting that “Cem houses are as much ours as mosques are.” He urged that “the obstacles preventing cem houses from being recognized as places of worship must be lifted.”

Bahçeli also called for a “terror-free Turkey,” urging responsible political discourse and warning against “disrespectful slogans under the parliament’s roof.”
Alevi civil organizations, however, criticized Bahçeli’s rhetoric as insincere and pointed out the state’s continued rigidity toward Alevi religious rights.

The initiative, long criticized for lack of substance, has now reached a critical stage. A parliamentary commission is working to pass a so-called “process law” before budget debates begin in November. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, during a visit to Diyarbakır where he read a Kurdish poem, stated that “it is time to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organizations.”

After a visit to İmralı Island on October 13, 2025, lawyers from the Asrın Law Office conveyed a new message from PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who referenced the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling on the “right to hope”:

“The principle of hope is a step the state must take. It affects thousands of lives. Both politics and justice require it.”

Bahçeli–Özel Clash

The week also witnessed heated tensions between the MHP and CHP. Bahçeli harshly criticized CHP leader Özgür Özel for holding a rally in Brussels and denouncing Turkey’s lawlessness before Western audiences:

“This noise from the opposition—targeting our country and the Presidential Cabinet abroad—is the delusion of a collaborationist politician yearning for a mandate system.
We wish that broken arms remain inside their sleeves. Whatever the issue, let us resolve it together with common sense and collective will. Complaining about our nation to foreigners is not an honorable act.”

CHP leader Özgür Özel fired back:

“Mr. Bahçeli, Mr. Erdoğan—those broken arms are ours, those broken hearts are ours, and those whose dignity is attacked are our friends. Yet you say, ‘let your arm break but keep it hidden inside your sleeve.’ You are telling us to drink the bitter syrup while Erdoğan’s circle sips the sweet. Sorry, but that era is over. The CHP stands tall, defends its rights, and will continue to do so to the end.”

The Supreme Election Council rejected an attempt by the 45th Istanbul Civil Court to suspend the CHP’s provincial congress. The congress was held on Sunday as planned.

A New “Morality Law”

A leaked draft of the 11th Judicial Reform Package revealed plans to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. The proposal includes a new criminal article:

“Any person who acts contrary to their biological sex or to public morality, or who openly encourages, praises, or promotes such behavior, shall be punished with imprisonment from one to three years.”

It also raises the legal age for gender reassignment from 18 to 25 and makes the surgical process significantly more difficult.

AKP parliamentary group chair Abdullah Güler denied the existence of such a draft, saying, “No such document has reached us. Everyone is expressing their opinions.” He noted that work on the reform package continues jointly with academics and ministries.

However, the radical Islamist newspaper Akit confirmed and endorsed the proposal on its front page, effectively validating the report.

Bureaucrat Arrested in Central Bank Corruption Probe

An internal audit at the Central Bank revealed public losses exceeding 100 million Turkish lira at the bank’s subsidiary, BKM (Bankalararası Kart Merkezi). Former Deputy Governor Emrah Şener and seven others were arrested. The investigation uncovered irregularities in “chip card” and “TROY software” tenders, no-bid payments to Boğaziçi TTO, and alleged embezzlement crimes.

Trustee Appointments, Asset Seizures, and Arrests

Prosecutors completed an indictment against lawyer Rezan Epözdemir, who faces charges of bribery, aiding the so-called FETÖ, and political and military espionage. He will stand trial on charges of “mediating bribery,” facing 4 to 12 years in prison.

In Bursa, former Nilüfer Mayor Turgay Erdem, his wife, and 13 others were arrested in a bribery and organized crime investigation. Authorities appointed a trustee to a local company and froze all assets belonging to the suspects.

In the money laundering probe targeting Can Holding, a travel ban was imposed on Şişecam Chairman Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kırman, who also serves on İşbank’s board.

Following the arrest warrants issued for Sezgin Baran Korkmaz—who was extradited from Austria to the U.S.—and six others, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office appointed the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) as trustee of Paramount Hotel, owned by Bodrum Hotel Enterprises Inc.

Journalist Hakan Tosun, who had been in intensive care after a violent attack, passed away this week.
Political scientist Emrah Gülsunar announced his own detention on social media; his lawyer later confirmed he has been formally arrested.