Addressing the members of the organization in the program, Çiftçi said that the month of Ramadan strengthens the spirit of unity, solidarity and solidarity. Emphasizing that they are working determinedly for the peace and security of Türkiye, Çiftçi said, “We are working day and night to make our streets a place of peace and our neighborhoods a place of trust.” Çiftçi said that they are working in line with a new security vision with the understanding of “There is no development if there is no peace, there is no stability if there is no security”. Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi attended the Traditional Organization Iftar program organized by the Samsun Provincial Directorate of the Justice and Development Party.

“SAMSUN IS ONE OF THE SYMBOL CITIES OF THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE”

Referring to Samsun’s place in Türkiye’s history in his speech, Minister Çiftçi said that the city has a special position in the national struggle. Stating that Samsun left deep traces in the memory of the Turkish nation, Çiftçi said, “This city, where the torch of our struggle for independence was lit, is not an ordinary city. The determined stance that lifted Anatolia up came from Samsun. This nation does not accept captivity, does not kneel and does not turn its back on its history.”

“WE ARE PROGRESSING WITH THE TARGET OF Türkiye’S CENTURY”

Emphasizing that Türkiye is a strong state, Çiftçi stated that the country is moving towards new goals under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “We are moving determinedly towards a great and powerful Türkiye with the vision of the Türkiye Century, which was initiated by saying that enough words and decisions belong to the nation,” said Çiftçi, and thanked the AK Party organizations for their work.

“A SECURITY CONCEPT THAT PREVENTS CRIME FROM OCCURING”

Stating that their biggest responsibility as the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to ensure the peace and security of Türkiye, Çiftçi said that they are working in line with a new security vision with the understanding of “there is no development if there is no peace, there is no stability if there is no security”. “We are now implementing an approach that not only fights crime, but also prevents crime before it occurs,” said Çiftçi, adding that they continue to fight against structures that drag young people into crime. Emphasizing that the police, gendarmerie and coast guard personnel served devotedly, Çiftçi thanked the security forces.

“Türkiye’S GREATEST POWER IS ITS NATION”

Stating that Türkiye’s greatest power is the nation, Çiftçi said that Türkiye is the hope of the oppressed all over the world. Stating that prayers are being made for Türkiye in a wide geography from Arakan to Bosnia, from Gaza to Kosovo, Çiftçi said, “This nation is the last bastion of justice, conscience and mercy.”

“WE WILL WORK NON-STOP FOR A STRONG Türkiye”

At the end of his speech, Çiftçi thanked the members of the organization and congratulated the upcoming Ramadan Feast. “We will work non-stop for safer cities, more peaceful neighborhoods and a stronger Türkiye,” said Çiftçi, and concluded his words with the emphasis on unity and solidarity.

Breaking news… Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek said, “The statements made by Özgür Özel against me today are a clear perception operation that is not based on any evidence and aims to mislead the public.” he said.

Minister Gürlek made the following statements:

I have been serving my state at various levels for more than 20 years. My wife, who is a judge, and I regularly submit our asset declarations to the competent authorities within the framework of the relevant legislation.

These imaginary claims, which are included in the papers given to Özgür Özel, but do not actually have a counterpart in the land registry records, are entirely aimed at misleading the public.

“IT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO BE A LIE MANY TIMES”

Unfortunately, his approach is not new. It has been repeatedly revealed that the claims he had previously presented to the public in high pitch were lies.

“SYSTEMATIC DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN”

This irresponsible targeting of me because of my fight against terrorism and organized crime structures during my judicial duty is part of a systematic smear campaign.

“I AM STARTING LEGAL PROCESSES”

The address of those who claim to have real information and documents is not the political platforms, but the relevant judicial authorities. In the face of these slanders, I immediately initiate the necessary legal processes, especially moral compensation.

The statements made by Özgür Özel against me today are a clear perception operation that is not based on any evidence and aims to mislead the public. I have been serving my state at various levels for more than 20 years. Together with my wife, who is a judge, we made our asset declarations regarding the relevant…

— Akın Gürlek (@abakingurlek) March 17, 2026

Historian and academician Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı died due to multiple organ failure in the hospital where he was treated on March 13. A memorial ceremony was held for Ortaylı, who passed away at the age of 78, first at Galatasaray University, and then a funeral ceremony was held at Fatih Mosque.

At the commemoration ceremony held at Galatasaray University, along with his family, students, academics and loved ones, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş and

Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek also attended. Ortaylı’s daughter, Tuna Ortaylı, said in her statement at the ceremony, “Knowing that you are loved so much and being able to see such a nice reaction makes us very happy and relieves our pain. Thank you very much for coming.”

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PRAYED

Ortaylı’s body was brought to Fatih Mosque around 15:00. Police teams took intense security measures in the area where thousands of people gathered. Following the afternoon prayer, the funeral prayer was performed. His family and loved ones bid farewell to Ortaylı with tears.

The body was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery. In addition to thousands of fans of Ortaylı, AK Party Deputy Chairman Binali Yıldırım, AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, former TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Celal Adan, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and Future Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu also attended the funeral.

Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, shared Türkiye’s first rural satellite city established in Cumhuriyet District of Hatay’s Kumlu district and said, “The hope we planted in every corner of Hatay has blossomed, grown and surrounded all our homes.”

According to the statement made by the Ministry, citizens from 21 neighborhoods in Türkiye’s first rural satellite city, established by the General Directorate of Construction Works under the Ministry, continue their lives in modern village houses.

777 village houses, 656 of which are reinforced concrete and 121 of which are light steel structures, were built for the citizens living in 21 neighborhoods in Kumlu, Reyhanlı and Antakya districts.

“THEY CREATED A CITY”

Minister Kurum, in his video post on his NSosyal account, included the words of Mehmet Alkışar, one of the hosts, “It cannot be happier than this now” and said, “The hope we planted in every corner of Hatay has blossomed, grown, and surrounded all our homes.”

The owner of the house, Alkışar, stated that their house is large and said, “Look, there are 4 rooms in total, excluding the kitchen. That is 4 plus 1. It was larger than I expected. It was made earthquake resistant. The amount of iron used is countless. We are happy, can you be happier than this now? The government gave you your house.”

Necla Dusmez, who is featured in the images, stated that their house is more beautiful than they imagined. AA

The trial of 41 defendants, 5 of whom are detained, including Muhittin Böcek, who was arrested within the scope of the ‘bribery’ and ‘corruption’ investigation in Antalya and suspended from his duty as the Mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, has started. In the 702-page indictment prepared against 41 defendants, including Muhittin Böcek, his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek, former Provincial Police Chief İlker Arslan, businessmen Fazlı Ateş and Mehmet Okan Kaya, there were accusations of ‘extortion by force, wrongful acquisition of property, influence trading, laundering of assets resulting from crime, qualified fraud and slander’. In the indictment, cash and deposits amounting to approximately 170 million 83 thousand TL were seized from the suspects, as well as 10 apartments, 5 vehicles, 5 workplaces, 1 luxury brand watch and 1 mobile phone. It was stated that the total value of the movable and immovable assets that were confiscated was 258 million 600 thousand TL. Muhittin Böcek, who was arrested and suspended from office, said in his defense regarding the allegation that approximately 399 million 507 thousand liras of public damage was caused through irregular expenses: “1129 tenders were made in Antalya. We never had a problem with the tenders. I did not come to office to enrich a relative.

I do not accept the accusations. I did not request payment of invoices from Yusuf Yadoğlu, Ali Yılmaz and Sezgin Köysüren, through my son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek and Serkan Temuçin, for the payments made by the company called Anadolu Reklam within the scope of local election propaganda activities. I have no information about the house purchased for 30 million lira for my ex-bride Zeynep Kerimoğlu. A house was bought for my ex-bride Zeynep Kerimoğlu. Yusuf Yadoğlu lent money to Gökhan, I didn’t know. There was a debt and receivable issue between Gökhan and Yusuf. “I do not believe the unfounded allegations regarding this action against me,” he said.

‘I WILL NOT MAKE ANYONE ELSE PAY’

Muhittin Böcek, who defended the purchase of a luxury watch for Melek K. in the indictment, said, “In our customs and traditions, when you buy a gift for your spouse, fiancée or life partner, you do not make someone else pay. Serkan Temuçin, the man from whom we were going to buy a watch for Melek Hanım, said, ‘Let me do some research, maybe I will line up and find one.’ He said, “There was no purchase or sale, either directly or through a person.” Böcek said about the sending of 1 million liras to him from a jewelery company, “It was a real gold exchange transaction.”

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office completed the IMM corruption investigation on November 11 and prepared a huge 3,806-page indictment against a total of 407 suspects, 107 of whom were detained and 7 of whom were caught. In the indictment, which described 161 billion public losses, bribery and corruption in 143 actions, a prison sentence of 2,352 years was requested for Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was held responsible for 142 actions as the leader of the organization. In the 5th hearing of the case in which Ekrem İmamoğlu was in the defendant’s seat, a new one was added to the lawless attitudes of the CHP wing. CHP deputies, who tried to turn the courtroom into a political arena, this time tried to prevent the administration of justice with the illegal “robe” move. At the hearing held by the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court on the fifth day of the case, in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution, Ağaç A.Ş. Purchasing Manager Ümit Polat was the last to make his defense. At the hearing, where Ağaç A.Ş employee Fatih Yağcı was expected to make his defense, CHP Istanbul Deputy Turan Taşkın Özer and CHP MP Mahmut Tanal appeared on the stage.

HE VIOLATED THE LAW AND SIT IN THE SEAT

CHP Istanbul Deputy Turan Taşkın Özer, who entered the courtroom wearing a lawyer’s robe, went to the defendant’s lawyers’ section, even though he did not have a power of attorney in the file and, more importantly, he was legally prohibited from practicing law because he was a member of parliament. Özer, who rejected the warning of the gendarmerie teams to “move to the audience section”, clearly displayed disobedience before the court. The President of the Court, who came to the courtroom as the discussions escalated, said, “Some MPs were sitting in the lawyers’ section. Despite the warnings, they did not come out.

Please go to the audience section,” he warned. Instead of respecting the law, Özer did not get up and challenged the court. Due to this provocative attitude, the hearing, which lasted 8 minutes, had to be interrupted. This scandal is not the first procedural violation in the İmamoğlu case. Mahmut Tanal continued the provocation by removing the plastic handcuffs on the barricade between the audience and the press after the hearing was postponed. In the previous hearings, the defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has no place in the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK). He somehow tried to make an opening speech as if turning the court into a rally area.

FONDAS MADE A ‘HEART’ TO THE MEDIA

Ekrem İmamoğlu tried to give a pirated statement to the CHP-supporting media. Fondas were seen hooliganizing İmamoğlu under the mask of journalism, and it was stated that some people made a “heart” sign towards İmamoğlu. After this situation disrupted the order of the hearing, the court panel asked the press members to change their places. However, CHP supporters did not stand up and resisted the court.

THE KEY NAME OF MONEY TOWERS TURNED IMMUNITY INTO ARMOR

There are very serious accusations against CHP Istanbul Deputy Turan Taşkın Özer, such as “fake receipts”, “managing money traffic” and “obscuring evidence”. Özer, the key figure in the “CHP Money Towers” investigation carried out in Istanbul, is already prohibited from practicing law as he is a member of parliament in accordance with the legislation. Özer’s name is remembered not only with his provocation at the hearing, but also with the shocking confessions included in the prosecutor’s file. Suspect and witness statements say that Özer is not an ordinary deputy, but the custodian of a dirty operation. Although Özer was not included as a suspect in the file due to his parliamentary immunity, he wore his parliamentary status as armor to prevent confessions.