Official Gazette / October 5 – 11, 2026

Constitutional Court;

- In a new application filed after its initial ruling on the violation of rights regarding Gezi Park trial defendant Tayfun Kahraman was not implemented, the Court issued another ruling of rights violation. The decision stated that the right to a fair trial was violated in July 2025, and the case was sent back to the relevant High Criminal Court for a retrial. The High Criminal Court had characterized the Constitutional Court's decision as an "usurpation of authority." The Constitutional Court ruled that this situation itself constitutes a violation of the right to individual application and the right to a fair trial, and sent the decision back to the High Criminal Court once again.

- Issuing a landmark ruling regarding the confiscation of publications sent to prisoners from the outside, the Court held that because there is no legal basis for the confiscation of books, magazines, and personal writings, this practice is unlawful and a violation of freedom of expression. The High Court ruled that this situation constitutes a structural problem and, by invoking the pilot judgment procedure for this landmark decision, notified the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and the Ministry of Justice. The pilot judgment procedure is applied in cases where such practices contrary to legislation become widespread, with the aim of having the TBMM resolve the issue entirely by enacting new legislation in line with the Constitutional Court's decision.

Following the Regulation on Differentiated Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers, age verification via e-Devlet (e-Government) has been made mandatory for account openings. Furthermore, children between the ages of 15-17 are prohibited from hosting live broadcasts. The regulation also stipulates that accounts for users in this age group will be private by default upon initial opening, they will not be able to receive advertisements based on behavioral data, and they will only be able to receive messages from accounts they follow. The regulation enters into force on November 1, 2026, and social network providers are required to complete age verification for existing accounts by March 31, 2027, and to completely close accounts belonging to individuals under the age of 15.

The Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK) has published a principle decision regarding the monitoring of corporate e-mail and communication channels by employers. According to this, even the scanning of traffic and log records by employers is considered personal data processing. In the said principle decision, the institution states that employers may only access content in exceptional cases where traffic monitoring is insufficient; that continuous surveillance is a violation of the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK); that the provision of communication tools such as computers/phones by the employer to the employee does not grant the employer additional rights under the KVKK; and that employees must be clearly informed in advance about the scope and method of the monitoring, otherwise institutions may be subject to administrative fines.

With the Tax Procedure Law General Communiqué (Serial No: 596), it has become mandatory for corporate tax payers and income tax payers taxed under the real method due to commercial, agricultural, and professional earnings to be included in the electronic notification system. Existing taxpayers are required to register via e-Devlet or the digital tax office by the end of November.

With the amendment made to the Communiqué on School Food, a nutritional scoring system has been implemented in school canteens, and the sale of products deemed unsuitable by the Ministry of Health has been banned in school canteens, cafeterias, and dining halls.

The Regulation on Private Care Centers for Disabled Individuals has been published, making the process of opening private care centers for the disabled much more comprehensive. The new regulation establishes five stages for applications to open a disabled care center, up to the receipt of an operating permit. The monthly ceiling for care fees for disabled individuals whose fees are paid by the Ministry has been set at two minimum wages. A two-year transition period has been defined for centers currently in operation to comply with the physical conditions set out in the new regulation.