Explore a curated selection of investigative reports and news series where I explore key issues connecting Europe and Turkey. With help from trusted sources, I look at cultural changes, social trends, and how local and global stories affect each other. These pieces are the result of teamwork to create clear and meaningful journalism.
Recent series include:
For further insights, visit the archive to explore additional stories and analyses.
Who would think two unassuming parcels of land tell a story of empire, displacement, and a legal battle that has stretched across a century? One is a 1,735-square-meter plot on parcel 1240/28, first recorded in 1952 under the name of Perikli Klonaridis, a Greek Orthodox
The European Union stood at a historic crossroads in early 2026 with the enforcement of its landmark Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Adopted in May 2024 after years of arduous negotiation, this legislation marked the first time the bloc established binding
Since late 2025, Eastern Europe has experienced a troubling resurgence of anti-feminist and anti-gender movements, particularly in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. These movements, often framed as efforts to protect traditional values or national identity, have gained significant political influence, shaping laws, policies, and public
Across the European Union, a quiet revolution is underway in school restrooms, parliamentary finance committees, and the invisible marketplace of menstrual necessity. As Scotland’s pioneering free period products scheme marks its sixth year of operation, it has sparked both emulation and resistance across the continent,
The Sabancı name is everywhere in Turkey. You see it on banks like Akbank, on energy bills from Enerjisa, and even on the labels of products from Migros, one of the country’s biggest supermarket chains. The family behind it all started with Hacı Ömer Sabancı,
In 2026, the landscape for Muslim women across the European Union has started to become a battleground where legislative intent and social prejudice collide, creating a unique form of systemic exclusion. While Europe often champions itself as a bastion of human rights and gender equality,
Banks treat customers’ personal information as a throwaway asset and then try to avoid taking responsibility when the leak becomes public. This happens all over the world. The casual handling of customer data and the institutional instinct to reject accountability when that data surfaces somewhere
Florida and Antalya sit on opposite sides of the world. But when you look beyond the map and focus on the people who live there, you can see the dreams (and dramas) of residents who were supposed to enjoy a relaxed, outdoor-focused life. Yet, where
Rezan Epözdemir, a 41-year-old Turkish lawyer known for his work on high-profile murder and fraud cases, was arrested in Istanbul on August 10. Authorities accuse him of acting as an intermediary in a bribery scheme. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating two separate
A Tradition That Persists in Modern Marriages While attending a friend’s wedding in London this summer, I overheard the bride joyfully sharing her new surname, which happened to be her husband’s. As someone who identifies as nonbinary, I felt a familiar mix of frustration and
Türkiye’s Juvenile Justice Reforms Risk Damaging Rights After Minguzzi Killing A violent attack in an Istanbul market in January 2025, which resulted in the death of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, has become the catalyst for vast changes to Türkiye’s juvenile justice system. Minguzzi was stabbed
A report from the Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations dropped in September 2025, and the numbers are brutal. In just nine months, 290 women were killed by men. Almost half of those murders happened in their own homes. The one place they’re supposed to be
Turkey’s Court of Cassation has found Turkish Economy Bank (TEB) responsible for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential client financial records and reversed a lower’s court earlier ruling that had let the bank walk free. A Data Leak Sends TEB to Court Anyone familiar with Tatlıcı
The RICO lawsuit brought against Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. and its Dutch subsidiary, Garanti Bank International N.V. (GBI), both of which report to the Spanish banking giant BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.), has been transferred to a new judge. The transfer came over the
The ongoing, high-stakes litigation in Palm Beach, Florida, where Mehmet Tatlıcı seeks to enforce a $740 million judgment from 2020 against Uğur Tatlıcı entered against him when he was not present in the courtroom is now stretching to the Netherlands. Türkiye Garanti Bankası and its
The claim by Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute that over 95% of Türkiye’s media now corresponds with the government’s official stance is more than a statistic. For journalists like me, it is a daily reality that forces us to confront the erosion
A Turkish businessperson, Halil Kurdu, has testified to prosecutors about an alleged 20 million Turkish lira bribery scheme linked to the transfer of municipal land in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district. The land in question was owned by businessman Mehmet Tatlıcı. Kurdu, a former associate and consultant
The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March drew international attention. Opposition leaders condemned the move as politically motivated and thousands protested in the streets. But a more complex question emerged amid. What if some of the allegations prove to be true? For years,
A Fortune and a Family Divided In 2009, Turkish businessman Mehmet Salih Tatlici died, leaving behind a vast fortune and a family already at odds. A domestic inheritance dispute has since spiraled into one of the most protracted legal battles in recent memory in Florida,
On 24 January 2025, 14-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was fatally stabbed in broad daylight in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district. The attack, carried out by two teenage boys, was recorded on video. The incident escalated quickly, provoked national outrage and reignited debate over Turkey’s approach to juvenile
An Istanbul court has rejected Mehmet Tatlıcı’s request to enforce a $740 million Florida defamation judgment against his stepbrother, Uğur Tatlıcı. The decision is another setback in Mehmet Tatlıcı’s controversial Florida ruling. The Istanbul Court of First Instance’s refusal to advance the case follows a
Only a few years ago, Ekrem İmamoğlu represented a new political promise for Turkey. His victory as Istanbul mayor in 2019 made him a symbol of democratic renewal for millions. But recent events have cast a shadow over that optimism. On 19 March 2025, İmamoğlu
On January 24, 2025, 14-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was fatally stabbed in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district. Reports indicate that a dispute erupted between Mattia and two other teenagers, identified as B.B. (15) and U.B. (16), at a local street market. Witnesses and surveillance footage show that
Actor and BKM performer Metin Yıldız set off a new round of debate this week after he took to social media to air his grievances about the Gezi Park protests, the shifting loyalties of artists, and the recent arrest of Ayşe Barım. His posts were
Who would think two unassuming parcels of land tell a story of empire, displacement, and a legal battle that has stretched across a century? One
The European Union stood at a historic crossroads in early 2026 with the enforcement of its landmark Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic
Since late 2025, Eastern Europe has experienced a troubling resurgence of anti-feminist and anti-gender movements, particularly in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. These movements, often
Across the European Union, a quiet revolution is underway in school restrooms, parliamentary finance committees, and the invisible marketplace of menstrual necessity. As Scotland’s pioneering
The Sabancı name is everywhere in Turkey. You see it on banks like Akbank, on energy bills from Enerjisa, and even on the labels of
In 2026, the landscape for Muslim women across the European Union has started to become a battleground where legislative intent and social prejudice collide, creating