Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

August 29, 2026

Ankara 6:09 am

15°C

Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Top European court says Kavala case exposes erosion of judicial independence in Turkey

Europe's top human rights court has renewed its call for Turkey to immediately release jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, saying his imprisonment reflects a broader “systemic problem” over independence and impartiality of the judiciary.

Equality and Democracy Party lawmakers

Explainer

Turkey’s Kurdish peace process moves to implementation: What to know and what’s next

Turkey’s peace process with Kurdish militants has entered the implementation phase this week, with authorities setting up working groups to verify the Kurdistan Workers Party’s disarmament.

Latest News

Exclusive

Israel recalibrates Syria policy, explores path to security deal

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C) watches as US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack prepares to sign an agreement in Damascus on September 16, 2025. Shaibani announced on September 16 a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province, which witnessed deadly violence in July. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

Why Turkey sees Israeli strikes in Syria as warning over its military role, Mecca Pact

A Turkish soldier from the 1st Border Regiment Command looks out over the border wall to Syria during alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A view shows a new S-400 "Triumph" surface-to-air missile system after its deployment at a military base outside the town of Gvardeysk near Kaliningrad, Russia March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar - RC11938EDE40

Intel: Turkey says S-400 stance unchanged despite US pressure

Turkey’s stance on its S-400s hasn’t changed, even as the United States appeared to dangle support in Syria in exchange for Ankara abandoning the controversial Russian missile defense systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.

Paramedics escort a woman as she walks toward an ambulance during a two-day curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC263G9BX0NW

Amid pandemic, medical groups question Turkey’s weekend curfew approach

Health workers’ advocates say precautions in Turkey may not be sufficient to contain the coronavirus and safeguard workers as the country grapples with the fast-spreading pandemic.

Intel: Trump tasks Pompeo with determining whether to lift Cyprus arms embargo

Donald Trump tapped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine whether to lift the decades-old US arms embargo on the disputed island of Cyprus, something Turkey has sought to forestall.

Turkey to release thousands of prisoners as coronavirus sweeps through jails

As COVID-19 ravages Turkish prisons, Ankara is pushing forward a law that will reduce the prison population by a third.

Is coronavirus good for health of Turkish-US relations?

The coronavirus could offer Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to defer a fresh crisis with Washington over the Russian S-400 air defense systems, which he had pledged to activate in April but whose cost has now grown on multiple fronts.

A general view shows the deserted Istiklal Street during a two-day curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, April 11, 2020. REUTERS//Umit Bektas - RC2H2G9Y460H

Reports of child abuse in Turkey spike amid pandemic

A prominent children's rights activist told Al-Monitor that complaints of child abuse incidents have doubled since the closure of the schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel and Turkey, first signs of warming up?

The recent publication over Turkey selling to Israel medical equipment to fight the coronavirus could signal a small, yet significant warming up of relations.

Why didn’t Erdogan let Turkey’s interior minister resign over coronavirus curfew fiasco?

The attempted resignation of Turkey's powerful interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, has exposed the emerging cracks in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party

Coronavirus outbreak in Turkish prisons leaves three inmates dead

The global COVID-19 pandemic has hit several Turkish prisons, infecting at least 14 inmates so far and killing three.

Syrian youths wave to a convoy of Turkish military reinforcements advancing near the town of Hazano in the countryside of Syria's Idlib province, on April 12, 2020, on the highway linking the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey to Idlib. (Photo by Aref TAMMAWI / AFP) (Photo by AREF TAMMAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

Battles rage in Syria despite coronavirus cease-fires

Clashes are raging between Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and Syrian Kurdish groups east of the Euphrates River in what Syrian Kurds claim that is a Turkish effort to prevent displaced civilians from returning to their homes.

A woman wearing a protective face mask waits for a train as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Istanbul, Turkey, March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2ORF9R2BLO

Turkish pandemic plan raises concerns over citizens' digital rights

In effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Ankara launched a mobile app that tracks patients, raising concern among digital privacy advocates.

Traffic police officers wearing face masks patrol as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC261G9NDY2G

COVID-19 crisis threatens to double Turkey’s unemployed

The coronavirus pandemic has raised the specter of a dramatic spike in unemployment in Turkey, but only a small section of those affected are slated to receive government support.