AGP Executive Report

LGBTQ+ Rights: UN experts condemned Turkey’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ groups, citing measures against more than 160 people and 20 organisations. Activists are also demanding the release of detainees outside an Ankara prison. Digital Life: Turkey’s planned ban on social media for children under 15 is due to take effect on Nov. 1, raising questions about young people’s online access and privacy. Culture & Film: The 14th Bosphorus Film Festival has announced its documentary and short-film juries, while Kurdish literature and cultural memory are set to feature at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Heritage: A 2,000-year-old Roman bath in Türkiye is welcoming visitors after dark, and a project has documented nearly 7,000 historic tombstones and inscriptions. Regional Debate: Azerbaijan’s school hijab restrictions have sparked student protests and a dispute with Ankara, testing the countries’ close ties.

Digital Childhood: Türkiye’s new social-media age rule for under-15s takes effect Nov. 1, tightening online access for young people. School Rights: Headscarf restrictions in Azerbaijani schools have sparked protests and 37 reported detentions, while criticism from Turkish officials has opened a public rift between the allies. LGBTI+ Rights: Activists demonstrated outside an Ankara prison to demand the release of detainees amid a wider crackdown on queer people and organisations. Film & Heritage: The 14th Bosphorus Film Festival has named its documentary and short-film juries; separately, Türkiye has documented nearly 7,000 historic tombstones and inscriptions. Rail Travel: The Touristic Eastern Express is scheduled to run 70 trips this winter, with ticket sales opening Oct. 26.

Fashion: Southeast Asian modest-fashion label Buttonscarves has entered Türkiye, its first move beyond the region, building on an Istanbul Fashion Week appearance in 2024. Tourism: At a global summit, Türkiye’s tourism minister said rules cut tourism-rental listings by up to 80% to ease rent pressure. A new review also names Türkiye as the most common destination in European reports of complications after cosmetic surgery abroad. Digital life: A law taking effect November 1 bars under-15s from social media and requires age checks; accounts for teens aged 15–17 will face added privacy safeguards. Online rights: Human rights groups say Türkiye has ordered platforms to block at least 1,270 accounts, including those of journalists, activists and LGBTQ organisations, and urge companies to resist the restrictions. Arts: Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened with films by internationally known directors, while the city’s “What Haunts Us” exhibition brings together 25 artists.

Arts & Free Expression: Comedian Deniz Göktaş says 88 days in jail have not made him regret his political satire. Rights groups say Turkey ordered at least 1,270 X accounts blocked in September, including those of journalists and LGBTQ+ organizations, and are urging platforms to resist. On the Culture Calendar: Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened with films by leading directors, while the Afife ballet returns to the stage after 28 years. An Istanbul exhibition titled “What Haunts Us” brings together 25 artists. Heritage: A former Ottoman naval headquarters in Kasımpaşa has served as a school for 120 years; Türkiye has also documented nearly 7,000 historic tombstones and inscriptions. City Life: Istanbul art collective OK Labs turns overlooked street fixtures into playful installations. Türkiye’s new under-15 social media ban is due to take effect on November 1.

Youth & Digital Life: Türkiye’s under-15 social media ban takes effect November 1, with age checks required and tighter limits for older teens. Rights & Society: A nationwide police campaign has detained LGBTQ+ people, activists and journalists, drawing condemnation from rights groups. Kurdish Culture: Writers and community members in Diyarbakır commemorated novelist Mehmed Uzun, while Baghdad’s new Newroz library is bringing Kurdish books and research to readers. Arts & Heritage: Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened, and visitors can now explore a 2,000-year-old Roman bath in Türkiye after dark. Travel & Community: Antalya welcomed 12.48 million foreign tourists in the first nine months, despite a year-on-year decline; Ankara has also opened a free respite center offering short-term care for people with disabilities.

Youth & Digital Life: Türkiye’s new rules, effective Nov. 1, will bar social media access for under-15s and require age checks; users aged 15–17 will face tighter privacy and safety settings. Kurdish Heritage: Writers and community members gathered in Amed to mark the 19th anniversary of Mehmed Uzun’s death, honoring his role in modern Kurdish literature. In Baghdad, Newroz Kurdish Book House is building a resource for Kurdish history and culture, with books in Kurdish, Arabic, English, Persian and Turkish. Arts & Heritage: Afife Jale’s story returns to the Istanbul stage in a revived ballet about the pioneering Turkish actress. Excavations have resumed after 20 years at the Roman baths of ancient Tyana, while Istanbul’s Dolapdere is emerging as a hub for contemporary art alongside its auto workshops. Tourism: Antalya drew 12.48 million international visitors in the first nine months of the year, down 5.6% from 2025.

Youth & Social Media: Türkiye’s ban on social media for under-15s takes effect Nov. 1. Platforms must verify users’ ages and block underage accounts; rights groups warn the rules land amid wider limits on online expression. Film: Istanbul’s Filmekimi festival has opened with films by internationally known directors. Access to the Arts: “Accessible Theater” returns for a fourth season, while the Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival plans performances in four towns in November. Heritage: Newly found 3,400-year-old Hittite tablets tell of an epidemic and an infant princess’s death. A 2,000-year-old Roman bath in Türkiye is also welcoming visitors after dark. Craft: A Turkish bookbinder’s six-decade career is celebrated in a new profile.

Digital Life: Türkiye’s ban on social media for under-15s takes effect Nov. 1, requiring platforms to verify ages and block services deemed addictive. Rights groups say the measure comes amid broader concerns over online speech restrictions. On Screen: Filmekimi opened in Istanbul, featuring new films by Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Werner Herzog and Taika Waititi. The festival also heads to Ankara, İzmir and Mersin. Stage Access: Türk Telekom’s Accessible Theater has begun its fourth season, offering audio descriptions, tactile stage tours and surtitles for audiences with vision or hearing impairments. Heritage: A newly uncovered 3,400-year-old Hittite archive recounts an epidemic and a royal infant’s death, while a 2,000-year-old Roman bath in Türkiye is welcoming visitors after dark.

Education: Turkish primary teachers earned an average of €18,669 in 2025, the lowest pay among 28 European education systems compared in an OECD report. Digital Culture: Orkut founder Orkut Büyükkökten is proposing a new social network focused on real connections, though he hasn’t announced a return of the original platform. Rights: The EU says Turkey’s actions affecting LGBTQ+ people, media freedom and local democracy are widening the gap with membership goals. Heritage: A 3,400-year-old Hittite royal archive unearthed in Turkey includes tablets recounting an epidemic and a princess’s death. Travel: Cappadocia is drawing more East Asian visitors this autumn, while a 2,000-year-old Roman bath is welcoming guests after dark. Performing Arts: Türkiye’s State Opera and Ballet festival will bring performances to four towns in November.

Rights and Culture: The EU says Turkey’s pressure on media freedom, LGBTQ+ people and local democracy is widening the gap with its membership goals. Ancient Heritage: Newly uncovered Hittite tablets in Sivas recount a deadly epidemic and the death of an infant princess 3,400 years ago. Cyprus Art: Two Byzantine icons stolen after the 1974 invasion have returned to Cyprus, while founder Hambis Tsangaris warns the Hambis Printmaking Museum faces demolition amid a dispute over its lease. Music and Stage: Turkish girl group Manifest has released its first English single, “Tralala,” and the Anatolia Opera and Ballet Festival is set to visit four towns in November. On Screen: Hande Erçel will star in “Diaspora,” a drama set in Berlin. Travel: A 2,000-year-old Roman bath in Türkiye is welcoming visitors after dark, as East Asian tourists help drive an autumn boom in Cappadocia.

Music & Free Expression: Prosecutors are seeking an obscenity charge against queer singer Mabel Matiz over a video showing two men dancing; a conviction could bring up to three years in prison. Fashion & Heritage: Qatar Museums will open a retrospective of British-Turkish designer Erdem Moralıoğlu on Oct. 27, with more than 150 pieces tracing his 20-year career. Archaeology: A 3,400-year-old Hittite royal archive has been unearthed in Türkiye, offering a new window into the ancient civilisation. Festivals & Travel: Diyarbakır is preparing to host the Culture Route Festival, while Cappadocia is drawing Golden Week visitors—though balloon trips depend on the wind.

Ancient Heritage: A 3,400-year-old Hittite archive uncovered in Sivas offers rare glimpses of royal life, a deadly epidemic and military appeals. Film & TV: Hande Erçel will lead Iranian director Nader Saeivar’s Berlin-set drama Diaspora, playing a Turkish widow fighting to be heard after harassment. Fashion & Tradition: Ankara’s TURKSOY Ethno-Fashion Week brought designers from across the Turkic world together to reinterpret traditional dress and patterns. Travel & Culture: Cappadocia welcomed a surge of East Asian visitors for Golden Week, while Diyarbakır prepares to host the Culture Route Festival. Women’s Safety: A report on femicides in Turkey and Kurdistan says 197 women were killed by men in the first eight months of 2026; families in Diyarbakır say requests for protection went unanswered.

Underwater Heritage: Divers off Antalya have uncovered 122 kinds of plates, bowls and trays from a 2,100-year-old shipwreck. Clay packing helped preserve the cargo, offering a rare glimpse of ancient Mediterranean trade. Archaeology: A new team is studying Turkey’s Durupınar formation, often linked to Noah’s Ark, but researchers say tests are ongoing; the site is widely described as a natural geological feature. Arts & Craft: Tourists are flocking to Midyat to see its 3,000-year-old filigree tradition, while ENKA Sanat has announced a new music and theatre season. Travel: Turkey is advancing new rules for Booking.com, Airbnb and other foreign booking platforms, a change that could affect visitors and hosts. Public Life: A student died and eight others were wounded in a stabbing at an Istanbul school. Separately, journalist groups are protesting account blocks and restrictions on news coverage in Turkey.

Archaeology: A 2,100-year-old shipwreck off Antalya has yielded 122 types of plates, bowls and trays, remarkably preserved by clay packed between the dishes. The find offers a rare glimpse into ancient Anatolian craftsmanship and Mediterranean trade. Craft & Design: Istanbul will host Türkiye’s first watch festival on Oct. 10–11, with workshops, talks and live demonstrations celebrating watchmaking as an art and craft. Living Heritage: Visitors are flocking to Midyat to discover its 3,000-year-old filigree tradition, a delicate silver-working craft still practiced in the city. Theatre: Kurdish theatre company Teatra Jiyana Nû has returned after a long break, opening its season with a children’s play and preparing a new production for adults. The group has faced repeated bans and closures over the years. Climate & Civil Society: Turkish NGOs hope November’s COP31 summit in Antalya will offer room for public discussion and cultural events, despite concerns that space for activism has narrowed.

Midyat Telkari Boom: Mardin’s nearly 3,000-year-old silver filigree tradition, “telkari” (Midyat Telkarisi), is drawing more domestic and international tourists, boosted by its 2021 geographical indication status and the hit series “Uzak Şehir.” School Violence in Istanbul: A teenage girl stabbed pupils at a school in Basaksehir; one student died and seven were injured, with inspectors assigned and the attacker in custody. COP31 Civil Society Pressure: Ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Turkish NGOs are planning a People’s Climate Summit but warn that protest space has narrowed after recent raids and arrests. Turkish Culture Abroad: A permanent “Divan Lugat At-Turk” exhibition opened at Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Kurmanjan Datka Center, supported by TIKA, linking Mahmud Kashgari’s legacy to Turkic language and folklore. Channel Smuggling Crackdown: UK authorities seized 25 inflatable “mega-dinghies” in air freight from Turkey to the Netherlands, targeting routes that could carry up to 1,700 migrants. Olympics 2036 Update: The IOC confirmed Qatar as an interested party for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with preliminary talks underway.

School Violence in Istanbul: Turkey’s education minister said one student died after a teenage girl stabbed pupils at a school in Basaksehir, with authorities reporting an arrest and classes suspended. Inflation Watch: Turkey’s annual consumer-price growth eased to 29.7% in September as a liquidity squeeze tied to a high-return investment fund crisis tightened demand, keeping monthly inflation at 1.84% and fueling hopes of a central bank rate cut. Higher Education Push: Erdoğan praised expanded access to higher education, citing abolished tuition fees, more scholarships, upgraded university infrastructure, and new universities across all 81 provinces. Culture & Art: The New Museum announced 36 artists for its 2027 Triennial, “The Outside Expands,” including several internationally known names. Digital Rights: Turkish and international journalism groups urged X to reject sweeping blocking requests, warning account-wide restrictions cut audiences off from news. Noah’s Ark Research: Turkish researchers at Sivas Cumhuriyet University are investigating the Durupınar site linked to Noah’s Ark claims. Sports Tourism: F1 confirmed the Turkish Grand Prix returns in 2027 at İstanbul Park. Aviation & Safety: Turkish Airlines hosted IATA’s WSOC 2026 in Istanbul.