The Muğla incident that has stirred up the AKP and MHP!..

Last January, an operation was carried out targeting local media members in Muğla. The justification for the operation was the crimes of “insulting a public official, unlawful acquisition of personal data, violation of the privacy of private life” and the very famous “publicly spreading misleading information” via a fake social media account. Later, “insulting the President” was also added to the list of charges.

The notable aspects of the operation were as follows;

First; a large number of individuals, from the Governor of Muğla to certain bureaucrats, and from the AKP Muğla Metropolitan Municipality mayoral candidate and former deputy Aydın Ayaydın to some party officials, were complainants.

Second; most of those detained were AKP-affiliated figures. For example, the number 1 suspect, journalist Kürşat Keskin, who was accused of and arrested for “insulting the President,” was the person who had interviewed Erdoğan in Marmaris before Hande Fırat during the July 15 coup attempt and was given a “plaque of appreciation” for it. Another journalist who was arrested, Cemal Demirtaş, was someone who stated that he had been “involved in politics within the AK Party for 24 years.” Serap Ülkü Özdemir, who was released under house arrest, had been a parliamentary candidate nominee from the AKP.

Third; the names of the former AKP Muğla Deputy Yelda Erol Gökcan and her advisor were frequently mentioned during the interrogations of these individuals.

Fourth; another operation was carried out on the same subject in February. This time, in addition to a group of journalists, the former MHP provincial chairman and the advisor to AKP Muğla Deputy Kadem Mete were detained. While the MHP figure was released with judicial control measures, the deputy's advisor was arrested.

“What Does It Mean to Have a Deputy Beaten?”

Initially, reports regarding the irregularities committed by bureaucrats in Muğla by these journalists came to the fore.

Following this, other allegations began to be voiced; such as that the journalists were targeted because they were trying to identify those who were granted gun licenses despite having criminal records, and also trying to reveal that certain public areas in coastal regions were being allocated to certain individuals and groups in a privileged manner... Along with this, it was alleged by some that a list had been created for these journalists to be beaten, and furthermore, that AKP Deputy Kadem Mete was also on this list.

After stating that Serap Ülkü Özdemir, who was released under house arrest, had applied to CIMER regarding this “beating list,” but that a decision of non-prosecution was rapidly issued, let us come to the reflections of the incident in Ankara.

According to what we have learned, AKP Deputy Kadem Mete and former deputy Yelda Erol Gökcan presented what happened in the form of a file to both Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek and Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi. Deputy Mete did not just explain the irregularities and lawlessness in the investigation; referring to the alleged “beating list,” he said, “What does it mean to have a deputy beaten, what kind of business is this?”

Let us note that the AKP members also discussed the issue with MHP officials in addition to the two ministers, and it is being discussed that these factors were also influential in the surprise resignation of MHP's Ulvi İzzet Yönter last night.

Everything Was Put into a Petition

Apart from Ulvi İzzet Yönter's resignation from his post, two other interesting developments took place yesterday.

The father of journalist Kürşat Keskin, who has been under arrest for about 2 months, filed a report to the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Governor of Muğla, two MHP figures, and the managers of MUÇEV, which was established by the Muğla Governorship to manage the coasts.

In the report petition, father Keskin stated that his son Kürşat Keskin had been a journalist for 25 years, had conducted a broadcast with Erdoğan during the July 15 coup attempt, and had plenty of photos with Erdoğan, Bilal Erdoğan, and other AKP members on his social media accounts, but after being arrested for “insulting the President” due to a slander, he made the following allegations regarding the reason for this “setup.”

“Because my son; has collected information and documents regarding the irregularities of the bureaucrats in Muğla, including the Governor, the MHP Provincial Chairman, and Aydın Ayaydın, and has reported on them. He prepared an 8-page letter to the Honorable President regarding these strong allegations. Because he was going to present this letter to the Honorable President, the people whose names I have listed created baseless complaints about my son, causing him to be arrested and removed from the way. Namely, it has been alleged that between December 2024 and the end of December 2025, gun licenses were granted to approximately 20 people despite them having criminal and archive records, in line with the reference of the MHP Provincial Chairman. These pieces of information are strong allegations that have also been brought to the agenda by other journalists. Furthermore, there are allegations reflected in the public opinion that certain public areas were allocated to specific individuals or groups in a privileged manner through MUÇEV. My son brought the aforementioned allegations to the agenda. These investigation and arrest processes of my son are being carried out by some political circles, primarily the Governor of Muğla, who are trying to obtain benefits, through the judicial police for the purpose of pressure and intimidation. In this framework; it is necessary to investigate how many people in total were granted gun licenses in Muğla between December 2024 and December 2025, whether there was a reference from any political party provincial chairman or political authority for those granted gun licenses, whether there were any among these people who had criminal or archive records, and whether certain public areas were allocated in a privileged manner through MUÇEV, and a public lawsuit should be filed.”

The Police Chief's Yacht Issue

Before coming to the incident that occurred immediately after this petition, let us also convey the following:

Journalist Kürşat Keskin filed a criminal complaint with both the Ministry of Interior and the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the police officers conducting the investigation, with allegations such as that he was held responsible for a report that was reflected in the general media in the past regarding the then-Marmaris District Police Chief having a boat built, that he was detained on charges of intentional injury because of this, that the police chief who did this had his duty location changed upon his complaint, that the same person carried out the latest operation, and that other police officers acted with motives of revenge and hostility and drew up false reports about him.

While the Ministry of Interior sent this criminal complaint to the Muğla Governorship, the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision of “lack of jurisdiction” because the police officers were serving in Marmaris.

Detention at the Airport

What happened after father Keskin's report petition?

Kürşat Keskin has a twin brother, his name is Yusuf Keskin, and he also works as a journalist.

Yusuf Keskin, who has been living in Ankara for a while, decided to go to Muğla yesterday.

Former AKP deputy Yelda Erol Gökcan was also in Ankara; she suggested they go together.

They passed through the VIP section of Esenboğa Airport together and exited the VIP section of Muğla Airport together. It was time to part ways; they headed to their own cars. Just as Yusuf Keskin was getting into his vehicle, he was detained and taken to the Police Department.

Were the Lawyer's Base Station Records Queried?

Yusuf Keskin, who was brought to the Prosecutor's Office after his interrogation at the Police Department, was also asked about the social media accounts that were made the basis of the accusations. Stating that he had no connection with these accounts, that he did not know who used the accounts, and that he had not followed them for a long time, Keskin also answered “No” to the question of whether his brother had handed him any phone or digital material.

The answer Yusuf Keskin gave to the question regarding WhatsApp correspondence he had with a friend about the police officers led to the emergence of a completely different allegation of lawlessness. Keskin's answer was:

“As far as I learned, one of the police officers working on the file also conducted some research on our lawyers. In fact, after my brother was arrested, 4 police officers made a post as a victory pose. I later learned the names of these individuals and asked about their duties.”

After stating that Yusuf Keskin was released with judicial control measures, let us suffice by asking, “If it is true, what is the reason for querying a lawyer's records?” and add this:

AKP Deputy Kadem Mete also gave the names of the police officers and mentioned that pose during his meeting with the Minister of Interior!..

In short; if the logic of “The arm is broken, it stays within the sleeve” is not acted upon again, this file seems likely to stir up the People's Alliance quite a bit.

Statement from the Governor of Muğla

Muğla Governor İdris Akbıyık, who called after the publication of our article, made the following statement regarding the allegations of journalist Kürşat Keskin's father:

“I am a civil servant of the Republic of Turkey and here I am the representative of our Honorable President. I am not going to enter into political debates regarding Muğla. Let me just state this much; we are bureaucrats tasked with enforcing the laws, we are no one's man. I want to answer two allegations regarding me. Of course, we also issue gun licenses. The allegations on this subject are completely baseless. It is out of the question for people like us to grant licenses to those with criminal records. The allegations on this subject consist of nothing but slander. As for MUÇEV; (Coastal Management and Environmental Protection Joint Stock Company) this is a company. 50 percent of it belongs to the Muğla Foundation and 50 percent to the Turkish Environmental Protection Foundation. We only have two members on the 11-person Board of Directors. All of the other members are bureaucrats from the Ministry of Environment. The authority is entirely with the company management. Our stance must have disturbed some people, so these are being brought to the agenda to wear us down as well. Other allegations regarding the suspects are in the judiciary and they have nothing to do with me. I have waited until today, but after these new allegations, I will file a criminal complaint in the coming days.”

Müyesser YILDIZ

March 28, 2026