Politics
Returns anticipated as terror-free Türkiye law advances
The Turkish Parliament’s Justice Committee was set to begin discussions on the draft of the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, landmark legislation aimed at accelerating the disarmament of the PKK terrorist group.
The discussions on Friday were expected to conclude within hours, with Parliament’s General Assembly set to debate and likely approve the bill on Sunday. The law will pave the way for the return of PKK members from abroad to surrender to the authorities, while the execution of their sentences is expected to be deferred if they are not found to have been involved in acts of terrorism.
PKK members seeking deferred sentences will be allowed to apply after Turkish authorities officially announce that the terrorist group has fully laid down its arms. Those who do not apply will remain subject to judicial proceedings and the execution of their sentences.
PKK members in Iraq will apply through Turkish diplomatic missions in that country, according to a report by the Sabah newspaper. Most PKK members are currently based in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq. In Syria, another stronghold of the terrorist group, PKK members will also be able to surrender through Turkish diplomatic missions. Those residing in Europe will similarly be processed through Turkish embassies and consulates across the continent.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, together with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), will coordinate the process. Returnees will first be required to appear before a court and, if the court so rules, they will be released with the execution of their sentences deferred.
A monitoring board will establish a special monitoring system for PKK members released under deferred sentences or returning from abroad. The Interior Ministry and MIT will monitor these individuals. If any links to criminal organizations or signs of renewed terrorist activity are detected, authorities will intervene immediately.
The law will not apply to approximately 250 founding members of the terrorist organization, including Fehman Hüseyin, Murat Karayılan, Cemil Bayık, Duran Kalkan and Bese Hozat. It is reported that, together with those convicted of murder, the total number of individuals excluded from the law is close to 1,000.
MIT has compiled a complete inventory of all weapons and equipment in the terrorist organization’s possession. Authorities will require the surrender not only of pistols and rifles, but also of drones, satellite communication systems and paramotors used by the PKK.
Commenting on the legislation and the anticipated returns, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek assured the public on Friday that the law would not be implemented until all conditions required for the PKK’s dissolution had been met. Speaking to journalists in the eastern province of Iğdır, Gürlek underlined that the law would take effect only after the National Security Council (MGK), chaired by the president, officially declared that the PKK had been completely dismantled.
“Individuals who participated in armed killings, whether they are abroad or currently in prison, will under no circumstances be eligible to benefit from the regulation,” Gürlek stressed.
“People want terrorism to end once and for all. According to recent surveys, 91% of our citizens say they support the initiative,” he added.
The anticipated returns are likely to be welcomed most by the Diyarbakır Mothers. The group, composed primarily of women, has staged a sit-in in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır for years, urging the PKK to release their sons and daughters. They say their children were minors or teenagers when they were lured into joining the terrorist group.
Necibe Çiftçi, one of about 80 parents participating in the sit-in, told the Sabah newspaper on Thursday that the families had endured years of hardship and that some had already been reunited with their children. Çiftçi is awaiting the return of her son, Roşat, who was 16 when he was lured into joining the PKK in 2015. Two years later, Roşat’s brother Sami was killed by the terrorist group after refusing to join it.
Çiftçi, from the southeastern town of Şemdinli, said the state had “proved its greatness” by helping families reunite with their children. “May Allah bless it. I am now waiting for the phone call from my son telling me that he is coming home,” she told Sabah.
Mevlüde Üçdağ, who is also waiting to be reunited with her son Ramazan, echoed the sentiment. She said the law would bring an end to the families’ long ordeal and that everyone was “waiting for the doorbell to ring” to welcome their children home.
An unprecedented meeting between Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sparked speculation about the opposition politician’s political future. In a statement on Thursday, Yavaş defended the meeting amid a barrage of rumors spreading on social media that he would defect to Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
“The only agenda of the meeting was Ankara,” Yavaş said in a statement the day after the meeting. The mayor, who represents the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said he requested the meeting with Erdoğan as part of the official welcoming protocol at the capital’s airport last month.
Yavaş, a former member of the AK Party’s ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has been touted as a potential presidential contender in the next election since he ended the lengthy reign of AK Party Mayor Melih Gökçek in the 2019 local elections. At one point, CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu considered him as a potential running mate in the 2023 presidential election, which he lost to Erdoğan. For the opposition, Yavaş is a strong presidential contender with the potential to attract conservative and nationalist voters who overwhelmingly support Erdoğan and the AK Party.
His muted response to the storm brewing in the CHP after Kılıçdaroğlu retook the party leadership following a court verdict that nullified Özgür Özel’s chairpersonship in May prompted rumors that he would defect to the AK Party. In his statement on Thursday, Yavaş indicated that he maintained ties with both the CHP and Özel’s New Party (YP), which he was expected to join after its establishment in July. Yavaş underlined that both Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu were notified about his meeting with Erdoğan, something Özel confirmed in an interview on Wednesday. The mayor stated that he spoke with Erdoğan about pending investments in the Turkish capital and problems facing the city, saying that he needed to discuss projects with “the central administration” to secure approval and support.
“I would like to make it clear to those trying to draw political conclusions from this meeting and create scenarios suggesting that I will switch parties: There is no possibility that I would take a stance that would hurt, upset or disappoint the people who love me, trust me and have stood by me for years. If this stance is considered a source of discomfort by the headquarters of either party, I will not hesitate to do what is necessary. However, to date, neither party leader has conveyed to me any statement indicating that they are uncomfortable with my stance,” he said.
A businessperson told an Istanbul court that he paid TL 10 million ($210,000) in bribes and was forced to hand over two plots of land worth TL 50 million while trying to collect hundreds of millions of liras owed to his company by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and its affiliates.
Serbülend Danış, owner of Danış Asfalt, made the allegations during a hearing in a corruption case involving jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and other defendants.
Danış said he had previously told prosecutors that he was pressured into making payments while seeking to collect about TL 500 million in receivables stemming from contracts with the municipality’s Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department and affiliated companies.
During the hearing, Danış accused former Republican People’s Party (CHP) Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner and his brother, Bulut Aydöner, of taking two plots belonging to him under the pretext of helping him collect the outstanding payments.
“Baki and Bulut Aydöner forcibly took two of my plots and victimized me,” Danış told the court, rejecting claims that he had contacted them because he wanted to enter politics. He said he planned to file a compensation lawsuit against the defendants.
Adem Tuncay, a former IBB advertising management official who cooperated with prosecutors under Türkiye’s effective remorse provisions, also testified at the hearing. Tuncay alleged that CHP-linked individuals visited him in prison and questioned him about his family circumstances.
He also claimed that after his release, he was not reinstated to his position and that his wife, who had worked for the municipality for 13 years, was dismissed.
On Wednesday, a total of 414 defendants, including suspended Mayor Imamoğlu, appeared before a judge at the 78th hearing in a corruption case involving the IBB. Fifty of the defendants are being held in pretrial detention.
Separately, Gözdem Ongun, the wife of former IBB official Murat Ongun, defended financial transactions prosecutors have cited in the case. She denied wrongdoing and said transactions totaling about TL 6 million through her company, BYZAG, stemmed from sales of jewelry and prayer beads.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu, was completed with a 3,809-page indictment filed on Nov. 11, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that Imamoğlu, identified in the indictment as the leader of a criminal organization, committed offenses including establishing an organization to commit crimes, bribery, money laundering, fraud causing losses to public institutions and organizations, unlawfully recording, obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, accepting bribes, publicly disseminating misleading information, extortion by a public official, laundering assets derived from crime, bid-rigging, intentionally polluting the environment and violations of Türkiye’s tax procedure, forestry and mining laws.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
Eight countries, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, welcomed Britain’s decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, and Jordan said they welcomed the joint statement by 12 countries on the need for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The ministers “reiterate their call for Israel to rescind all measures taken in connection with settlement activities and other measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the statement said.
It came after Britain, France and Canada on Tuesday joined nine other European countries in issuing a joint statement saying they planned to introduce or support restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements.
The three Western allies revealed the trade curbs in response to Israel’s West Bank settlements policy and reports of increasing attacks by settlers there against Palestinians, with a U.K. minister accusing Israel of turning a blind eye to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians there.
The moves prompted a furious Israel to unveil immediate countermeasures targeting Britain.
Later Tuesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian leader Mark Carney warned in another joint declaration that the settlements “pose a direct and urgent threat” to a two-state solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Ankara welcomed and supported measures taken by the 12 countries targeting commercial ties with illegal settlements.
“Israel’s efforts to eliminate the two-state solution are intensifying by the day,” the ministry said, warning that illegal settlements have evolved into a “systematic policy of occupation” that threatens the existence of a Palestinian state.
The ministry also said violence by illegal Israeli settlers had reached the level of “ethnic cleansing.”
Ankara argued that an adequate international response to Israel’s occupation policies has become essential to achieving a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.
Against this backdrop, Türkiye called on other responsible members of the international community to adopt similar measures against illegal settlements.
Türkiye reiterated that it would continue working toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, based on the 1967 borders and with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa in Ankara, as diplomatic contacts between Türkiye and the United States intensify over regional developments.
Erdoğan met Barrack, Issa and the congressman’s wife at the Presidential Complex, according to Turkish officials.
Following the meeting, Barrack said he was “honored” to meet President Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex and hailed the strength of ties between the two NATO allies.
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence and the two countries approach a century of diplomatic relations, Barrack said the Türkiye-U.S. alliance “has never been stronger.”
He said the two countries share deep ties as NATO allies, economic partners and longstanding friends, adding that the talks with Erdoğan reaffirmed their commitment to regional security, economic cooperation and the enduring bilateral partnership.
The talks came a day after Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Barrack and Issa in Ankara. The Foreign Ministry did not disclose details of their discussions, which took place as Ankara and Washington maintain close diplomatic engagement on regional issues, particularly developments in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Türkiye is fighting on multiple fronts on social media, where disinformation and criminal activities threaten national security. The issue was under the spotlight again when a video of a man bragging about his lavish wedding surfaced, triggering a debate about the source of his income. The man was arrested on Tuesday after an investigation found that he was involved in money laundering. Commenting on the matter, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said social media cannot operate outside the law and cannot be left unchecked.
In a statement Wednesday, Gürlek stated that judicial authorities were investigating content “that attempts to cover up the source of illicit gains or content attempting to promote (a lifestyle) through illicit gains.”
“Our stance is clear: Virtual fame cannot be a front for hiding crimes and criminal gains,” Gürlek said.
Authorities have stepped up their crackdown on organized crime thriving on social media and messaging apps in the past few years. Investigations have particularly focused on gangs luring impressionable minors through social media with promises of quick cash in exchange for carrying out hits on rivals and extorting businesses. In July, security forces detained 216 suspects in a nationwide operation against social media accounts promoting organized crime gangs.
Elsewhere, the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency is conducting a campaign titled “Stop Disinformation” to raise awareness about manipulative content and the dissemination of disinformation, particularly on sensitive issues. In the past two months, Türkiye blocked access to 2,034 social media accounts spreading terrorist propaganda, disinformation and provocative content.
The issue was also on the agenda of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, who spoke at a panel in Ankara on the fight against illegal betting and gambling, particularly on online platforms.
Pointing out that digitalization, while providing significant opportunities in many areas of life, is also transforming forms of crime and addiction, Yılmaz noted that the proliferation of online platforms, easier access via mobile devices and the diversification of new payment methods have enabled illegal betting and gambling activities to expand more rapidly, reach wider audiences and take on a cross-border nature.
Yılmaz said the promise of easy money is targeting young people in particular, through vast exploitation mechanisms operating under the guise of games and entertainment. “A loss that begins in one person’s account can turn into serious consequences that erode trust within the family, working life, social relationships and hopes for the future,” he said.
Yılmaz explained that illegal betting and gambling networks intersect with unregistered financial structures and organized crime groups, posing a threat to public order and economic security as well. “The multifaceted threat we face requires coordinated action across security, law, finance, health, education, social policy and communications,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, with talks focusing on major transportation investments and other projects planned for the Turkish capital.
Yavaş said he briefed Erdoğan on ongoing and planned projects, particularly metro investments aimed at strengthening Ankara’s transportation infrastructure.
He also thanked Erdoğan for his support for investments in the capital and his commitment to hosting the NATO summit in Ankara.
The mayor said he shared assessments of projects currently being carried out by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality as well as investments planned for the coming period.
Yavaş thanked Erdoğan for the meeting and his close interest in Ankara.
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