The Grand National Assembly of Turkey Investigation Commission on Children Driven to Crime listened to the families of the victims yesterday. Before the commission meeting, emergency health response teams were also brought to the area where the hall was located. In the commission; Families of the victims “Gülden Coni, Oğuzhan Çöpür, Abdurrahman Balcı, Atlas Çağlayan, Kıvanç Uman, Eyüp Arıcı, Murat Duha Yıldız, Hakan Çakır, Fatih Acacı, Alperen Toprak, Yusuf Buğra Demirci” explained their experiences. At the meeting where emotional moments were experienced, tears flowed from time to time.

MURDERERS HAVE COMMON SYMBOLS

Families who spoke at the commission emphasized that their children were killed as a result of severe violence and often planned attacks. Zeynep Balcı, the mother of Abdurrahman Balcı, who was killed on March 17, 2025, explained the threats of the perpetrators and pointed out that children involved in similar crimes use common symbols and language. Balcı said, “It’s just like a dark cloud coming out of a lamp. They made our lives dark.” He noted that the family of the murderers found the courage to threaten by saying, “If not today, tomorrow. If necessary, we will burn our future once again.”

THEY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED MARTYRS OF OPPRESSION

Balcı argued that the current system is not a deterrent and said that children who are dragged into crime should receive the real consequences of their crimes. Balcı wanted those who lost their lives in this way to be declared “martyrs of oppression”.

REBELLION AGAINST DISCOUNTS

Gülhan Ünlü, the mother of Atlas Çağlayan, who was stabbed to death in Güngören, Istanbul, said that the perpetrator intended to start a fight on the day of the incident and that her son was attacked in front of his eyes. Stating that his other son will carry this trauma for a lifetime, Ünlü reacted to the release of the perpetrators in a short time due to the age reduction. “Our lives were destroyed in a minute. I was able to say goodbye to my son while he was dying on the pavement,” said mother Ünlü, stating that the perpetrator would be walking the streets 5 years later and said, “A murderer has no age. A murderer is a murderer, whether he is 30 or 15.”

COMMON DEMAND: DETERRENT PUNISHMENT

The families heard in the COMMISSION united in a common demand:

The current penal system for offenders under the age of 18 is not a deterrent, it should be rearranged.

While penalties are being made more severe, more effective mechanisms should be created to ensure that perpetrators assume responsibility towards society and to prevent similar crimes.

The murdered children should be considered “martyrs of oppression”.

A total of 57 people, including Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey, his wife Seden Bozbey, his daughter Side Bozbey and his brothers Ramiz and Ertan Bozbey, were detained in the operations carried out in 4 provinces centered in Bursa within the scope of corruption and bribery investigations carried out by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. In the investigations carried out on charges of establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime, being a member of a criminal organization, and laundering assets resulting from crime, it was determined that 7 companies were used for money laundering purposes and that there were 213 immovable properties and 35 vehicles belonging to these companies.

TRUSTEES WERE APPOINTED TO COMPANIES AND PROPERTIES WERE SEIZED

SDIF appointed trustees to Verev İnşaat, Seres Gayrimengül, Tiba Mimarlık, Fide Özel Eğitim, Bozbey İnşaat Sanayi, Perçem İnşaat and Kafkas tour car rental companies, which were found to be used to launder assets obtained from crime within the scope of the investigation. A total of 213 immovable properties and 35 vehicles, which were determined to be registered to all these companies, were seized. While statements and judicial proceedings continue against 57 people detained within the scope of the investigation, efforts are continuing to capture the 2 fugitives.

MASAK INVESTIGATIONS TOOK 6 MONTHS

As a result of the 6-month-long investigations conducted by MASAK against the criminal organization of which Bozbey is at the center, it was learned that 213 immovable properties and 35 vehicles obtained from crime were registered to 39 individuals and 7 companies, and the transaction volume subject to the crime reached a total of 15 billion 951 million TL. While legal action was taken against a total of 59 suspects, 57 people were detained and 2 people were reported to be fugitives abroad.

CORRUPTION THROUGHOUT THE FAMILY

The most striking aspect of the operation was that many names with the same surname as CHP Mayor Bozbey were included in the detention list. It was noteworthy that Mustafa Bozbey, his wife Seden Bozbey, his daughter Side Bozbey Gürer, his brothers Ramiz and Ertan Bozbey, and names from the family circle were also detained. It turned out that corruption was not only a criminal organization within the Municipality, but also profiteering through family and relative relations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the National Football Team, which qualified for the 2026 World Cup by beating Kosovo 1-0.

“I HEARTLY CONGRATULATE OUR CHILDREN”

President Erdoğan, in his post on his NSosyal account, said, “I wholeheartedly congratulate our National Football Team, Our Children, for defeating Kosovo in the 2026 World Cup play-off final and qualifying for the World Cup finals.” he said.

“THEY WILL CARRY THE CRESCENT AND STAR JERSEY FROM VICTORY TO VICTORY”

President Erdoğan noted the following in his post: “I wish success to our National Team, which will fly our star and crescent flag on this biggest stage of football after 24 years, first in the group matches we will play against Australia, Paraguay and the USA, and then in the matches that we hope will reach the final. We have full faith that our Kids will carry the crescent and star jersey from victory to victory and make our nation proud, as always. I kiss all our athletes on their foreheads.”

I wholeheartedly congratulate our National Football Team, Our Children, for defeating Kosovo in the 2026 World Cup play-off final and qualifying for the World Cup finals. 🇹🇷 Who will fly our star and crescent flag on this biggest stage of football after 24 years… pic.twitter.com/Rttt9QDbe8

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) March 31, 2026

The Directorate of Communications’ Combating Disinformation Center, from Incirlik Air Base, denied the allegations that US B-1B Lancer bombers continue to land and take off from Incirlik Air Base.

In the statement made on the subject, “The claims made in some social media accounts that “US B-1B Lancer bombers continue to land and take off at Incirlik Air Base” contain disinformation. The images and videos shared are old and belong to planned routine training activities. They are not up to date. They have nothing to do with the current regional conflicts. Serving the images of the past years as if they are new; harming Türkiye’s peace-oriented stance in the region and making our country a part of the current conflicts. “Our citizens are kindly requested not to rely on claims of unknown origin and manipulative content aimed at provocation, other than authorized official authorities.” His statements were included.

CITIZEN TELLS: “WE COME BY VEHICLE, BUT WE STILL MAKE PROFIT”

Yusuf Yıldız, who shops at the Public Market, emphasizes that the price difference is directly reflected in daily life:

“There is a really important opportunity provided to us by our metropolitan mayor. We have been shopping here for five years. There is a market under our house, but we still come here. You come by car, but you still make a profit. Because the price difference is huge. For example, in another market, a kilo of tomatoes was 279 liras, but here it is 79 liras. There is a serious difference in every product, not just tomatoes. They sell them for 20, 30, 40 percent more expensive outside. Our mayor has done this job really well. “Other provinces should come and see this place and take it as an example.”

“NO BOYCOTT PRODUCTS, MANY TYPES”

Merve Sayın states that the Public Market plays an important role not only in terms of affordability but also in terms of market balance:

“We prefer this place because mostly boycott products are not sold. Some of the biggest reasons why we prefer this place are the reasonable prices and the variety of products. Other markets have started to narrow down a lot now. It is as if they have become a monopolist, they all give the same prices and sell the same products. But here there is variety, there are alternatives. We can find what we are looking for, from detergent to food. I think the Public Market has made a serious adjustment to the market. Prices have dropped, we see this clearly. Fruits and vegetables are fresh, high quality. There is no need to even go to the market anymore. It is cold like Erzurum.” “It is really important to find this quality in a city. This service provides serious support to the kitchen.”

Also drawing attention to water prices, Sayın said, “Water here is the cheapest in Türkiye, around 40 lira. This difference is incredible. It is not easy to achieve this success. We really support it.”

“A MODEL THAT SUPPORTS PENSIONERS”

Retired citizen Solmaz Kaya states that the Public Market is a vital support, especially for low-income citizens: “We buy pasta for 23 lira here, 30 lira in another market. If tomatoes are 240 lira there, they are 80 lira here. There is also a significant difference in meat. Minced meat is 800-850 lira outside, 600-650 lira here. Even bread is cheaper. My wife, a retiree, says, ‘This is for us. “It saved the market,” he says. “It’s really a great support for the kitchen. When other markets saw this place, they had to reduce prices. It was this project that brought out the competition.” Kaya continued his words as follows: “If I were the mayor, I would not take on such a job, frankly, it is a difficult job. But the citizen is taken into consideration here. It is a great blessing for retirees and low-income people. We say God bless you.”

“I WORK IN THE MARKET, BUT I SHOPPING HERE”

Mustafa Yerdeli, who works in a chain market, evaluated the impact of the Public Market as an insider: “I work in a chain market, but I still do my shopping here. Because the difference is really big. There is an advantage of up to 40 percent. The same applies to fruits and vegetables, meat and other products. This project makes a serious contribution to both the economy and the citizens. It is a unique opportunity, especially for retirees. We thank our Mayor. Transportation is cheap, water is also cheap. The municipality really works for the people.”

“THERE IS QUALITY AND REASONABLE PRICES”

Sevda Güven, on the other hand, emphasizes quality: “We are very pleased with this service. Especially in meat products, there is both quality and affordable prices. Every time we come, it is very crowded. At first, I thought ‘I wonder if it is herd psychology’, but the prices are really affordable. You cannot find the same quality at this price in other markets. Here, there is both variety and quality. In this respect, it is a very valuable service.”

“THERE IS NOTHING SIMILAR IN Türkiye, IT SHOULD BE A MODEL”

University faculty member Cavit Yeşilyurt states that the project should be evaluated from an academic and economic perspective: “I am an academician working in the field of data analysis. Based on observation, I can say that an application of this scale is not very common in Türkiye. The price advantage is serious. There is a difference of approximately 40-50 percent. But the most important point for me is trust. Since this place is under public assurance, we access food with confidence. We feel comfortable when buying meat and eggs. This is very important.”

Touching on the general living conditions of Erzurum, Yeşilyurt continued as follows: “Water is cheap in Erzurum, transportation is convenient, and now there is such a model on the food side. This is a holistic social municipality approach. This model should be an example for other cities.”

STRONG MODEL IN SOCIAL MUNICIPALITY

Public Market project of Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality; It stands out as a strong model in social municipality with its affordable price, high quality, employment and market balancing effect. It is aimed to expand the application, which has attracted great interest from citizens, with new branches in the coming period.

In his speech at the “Strong Turkey in Communication Ceremony with 5G” held at the Presidential Complex, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wished that the new generation mobile communication infrastructure 5G, which they will activate, will be beneficial for the country and nation.

President Erdoğan congratulated all institutions, companies, engineers and sector employees who contributed to the preparatory work, testing and installation processes of 5G technology, which will increase Türkiye’s competitiveness, increase communication, technology, energy and production efficiency, and further strengthen its digital independence.

Wishing that 5G technology, which will open a brand new page in a wide range of areas from transportation to health, from agriculture to production, from economy to education, as well as communication, will once again bring good luck to the country, Erdoğan continued his words as follows:

“MILITARY DETERRENCE AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY ARE NOT SEPARATE FROM EACH OTHER”

“I find it useful to underline the following point right at the beginning of my words; my dear brothers and sisters, in today’s world, sovereignty is no longer geography-based, physical and limited to a certain piece of land. In this period when the global power competition has become harsher, the dizzying developments in the field of technology and digitalization have eroded the concept of sovereignty in the classical sense. If you want to be powerful, deterrent, have a say, influence and reputation in the world, you have to accelerate your cyber space studies, take your cyber security measures and develop your cyber technology. Collection of data, Processing, analyzing, converting it into added value and most importantly ensuring data security play a critical role in this process. The recent wars and conflicts in our immediate surroundings, especially in Lebanon, Gaza and Iran, have once again shown us the importance of cyber security. In the data age we live in, political stability, economic independence, military deterrence and digital sovereignty are not separate from each other. On the contrary, they are complementary to each other, as the old saying goes.

President Erdoğan: “5G technology will further strengthen our digital independence”

“IT IS EXTREMELY CLEAR THAT IT IS AN ISSUE OF DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL SECURITY”

“If you cannot control your airspace to the extent that you control your borders, if you cannot protect your cyber homeland and your data, which is an integral part of it, to the same extent that you protect your airspace, then there is a very serious weakness in your sovereignty.” Using the statement, Erdoğan made the following evaluations:

“The determining actor of geopolitical superiority in the digital age will not only be those who control the land, but also those who manage the data. In this regard, when 5G is considered together with data centers, cloud infrastructures, artificial intelligence and cyber security capacity, it is clear that it is a matter of digital sovereignty and national security. We look at the historical step we are taking today, among other things, from the perspective of digital sovereignty. As a matter of fact, we have prepared the infrastructure for this very strongly in the last 23 years.