Two top executives of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) were detained and questioned by authorities yesterday following remarks they made at a recent meeting of the group.
Orhan Turan, the association’s President, and Ömer Aras, Chair of its High Advisory Council, were taken from their homes by police and brought in for questioning on charges of "attempting to influence a fair trial" and "publicly disseminating false information."
After giving statements, both businesspeople were referred to a court, which imposed a travel ban and a requirement to regularly check in at a police statation as part of judicial control measures.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Aras and Turan over their speeches at TÜSİAD’s Feb 13 general assembly meeting. According to the prosecutor’s office, the two made statements that allegedly sought to influence judicial processes.
Court documents stated that their speeches contained “misleading and false information” and that the executives made claims about legal matters they were not directly involved in. The court ruled that their remarks had the potential to create “public unrest” and justified the travel ban on this basis.
The questioning
During questioning, Turan, a mechanical engineer and business owner in the insulation sector, rejected the allegations, according to court documents obtained by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA). He emphasized his role in fostering Turkish entrepreneurship and international trade.
“We are working on artificial intelligence initiatives, bringing Turkish entrepreneurs together,” Turan stated. He requested the court to reject the travel ban, citing upcoming international business trips in March and April.
Ömer Aras, a banking executive, also defended his speech, describing it as a discussion on Turkey’s economic future. “My remarks focused on what needs to be done to advance Turkey’s economy. I spoke about the rule of law, education policies, economic measures, women's rights, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Aras said in his testimony. He denied the accusations and argued that his statements were based on economic analysis.
Erdoğan's response
The detentions came shortly after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized TÜSİAD in a speech to his party’s parliamentary group on Feb 19.
“In the new Turkey, you will know your place. If you are a business association, you will behave like one. You will not incite the public, provoke state institutions, or try to pressure the judiciary,” Erdoğan said.
The president also took aim at TÜSİAD’s assertion that Turkey’s governance system was failing. “What is collapsing is not the system, but the privileged era they long for, when they could freely exploit the state’s resources," he remarked, referring to the period before his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
Following the launch of the investigation, TÜSİAD issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to the rule of law. The organization said Aras’ remarks were in line with TÜSİAD’s mission and principles.
TÜSİAD, founded in 1971, represents Turkey’s largest industrialists and business leaders. It has often found itself at odds with the government over the past decade.
What did they say?
At the TÜSİAD meeting on Feb 13 in İstanbul, Aras and Turan raised concerns over the deepening challenges in Turkey’s political, social, and economic landscape, particularly affecting industrialists and businesspeople.
In his speech, Turan highlighted a long list of pressing issues, stating, "The agenda is overwhelming. Where do I even begin?" He pointed to widespread negligence, favoritism, and corruption as underlying causes of Turkey’s problems, citing:
- Frequent disasters such as earthquakes, fires, and workplace accidents causing significant loss of life.
- Increasing legal pressure on critical journalism and expressions of dissent.
- New investigations being launched into events from over a decade ago.
- Growing number of imprisoned politicians, including MPs, party leaders, and mayors.
- Judicial inconsistencies, with harsh disciplinary actions for low-ranking officers while serious crimes like corruption, harassment, and workplace deaths go unpunished or result in quick releases.
- State intervention in governance, with public officials being dismissed and companies being taken over through new regulations empowering the State Supervisory Council and the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).
- A surge in financial crimes, stating, "It seems setting up a criminal organization has become easier than starting a legitimate company."
- Persistent issues of violence against women and child abuse.
Following Turan, Aras stated that Turkey is suffering from a systemic collapse, leading to widespread disillusionment. "As a country, we are demoralized. We are experiencing a crisis of confidence, and the reason is a failing system," he said.
He referenced major disasters as symbols of structural failure, including:
- The Kartalkaya hotel fire that killed 78 people.
- The İliç mining disaster, where nine workers remain trapped.
- The 2014 Soma mine explosion, which killed 301 miners.
- The Feb 6, 2023 earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, which left tens of thousands dead.
A longstanding rivalry
The latest detentions highlight a history of tensions between TÜSİAD and the ruling party. The AKP has positioned TÜSİAD as a symbol of the “Old Turkey,” a term the party uses to describe the pre-AKP era, where elected governments were seen as weaker in the face of military, judiciary, and business elites.
Government-aligned media frequently portray TÜSİAD as part of the establishment that resisted the AKP’s rise. A report published today in the pro-government daily Sabah revived TÜSİAD’s historical ties to past military interventions, including the 1980 coup and the 1997 military-led process that resulted in the Welfare (Refah) Party, the predecessor of the AKP, losing power in what is widely called as a "postmodern coup."
The article titled "The Dirty History of TÜSİAD" explores one of the most controversial moments in the association's history in 1979, when the organization published full-page newspaper ads criticizing the economic policies of then-Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, leader of the Democratic Left Party (DSP). The ads were widely seen as a call for Ecevit’s removal, and his government collapsed later that year.
During the military-led 1980 coup, TÜSİAD-backed economic reforms were implemented under the new military regime. The association also retained its legal status during this period and was officially recognized as a “public benefit association” in 1981.
In the late 1990s, TÜSİAD advocated for political reforms that aligned with the military’s stance, including changes to the education system and restrictions on religious schools. Just one month after a key TÜSİAD report calling for these measures in 1997, the military-led National Security Council issued a statement demanding similar changes, which ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Islamist-led coalition government.
This history has fueled the AKP’s narrative that TÜSİAD represents a political and economic elite that has historically opposed elected governments. In contrast, TÜSİAD frames its advocacy as an effort to uphold democratic values, economic liberalization, and the rule of law. (VK)
