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.
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
Earlier this year, reports revealed that Mehmet Tatlıcı, a billionaire businessman, had applied for state-funded legal aid in Turkey despite a lifestyle of conspicuous luxury. The story prompted public debate about privilege, justice, and the use of public resources. Now, a former business partner identified
Ayşe Barım’s name has become closely associated with cultural management and artistic influence, and when someone like her is detained it becomes the matter of the law and the public life Her detention, following accusations ranging from “aiding an attempt to overthrow the government” to
A Maltese court has refused to enforce a $740 million US defamation judgment against Ugur Tatlici. The decision highlights the growing European resistance to what critics call the weaponization of foreign courts. The Civil Court, First Hall of Malta, rejected an enforcement request tied to
Ayse Barim, a prominent manager of several of Türkiye’s leading actors and musicians, was taken into custody on 24 January 2025. She faces charges related to her alleged involvement in the 2013 Gezi Park protests. The timing of her detention has drawn attention, coming as
A recent court filing has revealed that Mehmet Tatlıcı, one of Turkey’s wealthiest business figures, has applied for government-funded legal aid to cover filing fees in his ongoing $740 million lawsuit. The request has sparked public debate, given Mehmet Tatlıcı’s well-documented lifestyle of luxury and
As this series continues to examine the dynamics of Turkey’s most prominent families and their contested inheritance disputes, attention turns to Tatlıcı family. Mehmet Salih Tatlıcı was one of Turkey’s richest and most powerful men. When he died, his family didn’t come together, and they
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
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,
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
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,
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
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