Some Turkish chief police officers own prostitution-linked hotels, İYİ leader Akşener says

Duvar English

Nationalist opposition İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener on Nov. 18 stated that some Turkish police chiefs have owned hotels where orphaned girls are forced into prostitution and that she has been closely monitoring the issue as a former interior minister.

Akşener made a statement about the corruption allegations within İYİ and said that these allegations were voiced because they have been following human trafficking as a party.

Upon Akşener's statement, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Nov. 20 said, "This is a very serious allegation. It should be reported to the judicial authorities without delay.”

İYİ Spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu on Nov. 20 stated, "Our party chair shared the relevant information and details with the Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. On behalf of our party, I would like to thank Mr. Yerlikaya for his determination to resolve this matter."

After Akşener’s statements, the flood that lawyer Dilek Ekmekçi shared on her X account in September 2020 came to the agenda again. In her tweets, Ekmekçi also included the criminal complaints filed against the organization that forced girls in state-run orphanages into prostitution.

In the posts shared by lawyer Ekmekçi, the names of various police chiefs, public officials, and executives of nationalist associations were mentioned.

As a response to Akşener’s statement, Ekmekçi on Nov. 19 criticized her harshly and stated that she has been fighting with this crime syndicate alone for three years while facing various criminal complaints and death threats. 

She also stated that İYİ lawmaker Yüksel Arslan has been recruiting members of this crime syndicate in various public institutions and Akşener made him deputy despite these.