New scandal at Kızılay! Child pornography investigation into new Branch President
After obscene content targeting children was discovered on the digital devices of Recep Yarıcı, who was appointed as the Kızılay Hendek Branch President in Sakarya, both Yarıcı and an individual identified as Z.K., with whom he was allegedly associated, were arrested and sent to prison. The Turkish Red Crescent (Türk Kızılay) issued a stern statement regarding the matter, emphasizing that Yarıcı has been dismissed from his post and that they have intervened in the case.
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Recep Yarıcı had been appointed as the president of the Turkish Red Crescent branch in the Hendek district of Sakarya only 25 days ago. However, as part of an investigation conducted against him, obscene content allegedly featuring young children was found on his digital devices. The examination revealed that the images included material belonging to the 9-year-old daughter of Z.K., with whom Yarıcı was alleged to have a close relationship.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY FOUND ON PHONE
Following the verification of the allegations, police teams detained both Recep Yarıcı and Z.K. After processing at the police station, the suspects were referred to the courthouse on charges of "child sexual abuse" and "possession and distribution of obscene content." As a result of the evaluation by the duty magistrate, both suspects were arrested in light of the available evidence.
While the matter naturally caused a major public outcry, the Turkish Red Crescent Headquarters also quickly issued a public statement. The institution stated that Recep Yarıcı was appointed as the Hendek Branch President on January 6, 2026, but was removed from office by a board decision on January 31, when the crime was learned. The statement noted that Yarıcı served as president for only 25 days and that all his ties with the institution have been severed.
The following statements were included in Kızılay's announcement:
"We learned with great indignation that Recep Yarıcı, who came to the position of Hendek Branch President on January 6, 2026, following the resignation of the previous president, has been arrested for a disgraceful crime. As soon as we received information about this disgraceful incident, which is absolutely unacceptable, our Headquarters Board of Directors immediately terminated Recep Yarıcı's duty on January 31, 2026. The person in question remained in the position of Turkish Red Crescent Hendek Branch President for only 25 days.
"We hereby inform the public that we have intervened in the case to ensure that the individual, whose ties with our institution have been completely severed, receives the harshest punishment; that we are working in cooperation with judicial authorities to clarify all aspects of this issue, for which we have zero tolerance; and that we will follow the process until the end."