Erdoğan scraps move to close liberal Bilgi University after outcry

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 25, 2026 · 501 words · By Gavin Blackburn; Burcu Basaran

Financial Crime and Asset Seizure Turkish Political Governance State Intervention in Education

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Financial Crime and Asset Seizure

Founded on 7 June 1996 as Turkey's fourth private foundation university, Bilgi became part of the Laureate International Universities network, a US-based group operating universities across multiple continents, in 2006.

Claims checked 17

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed his controversial decision on Sunday to close a liberal private university in Istanbul, according to a decree published in the official gazette.

Common ground

Hundreds of students and lecturers demonstrated earlier in the day outside the main campus of Istanbul Bilgi University, which has been closed since Friday, to demand its reopening.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Financial Crime and Asset Seizure story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Among those seized were the television channels Habertürk and Show TV, the financial news channel Bloomberg HT, the Doğa school network, and Istanbul Bilgi University?
How does this story connect Financial Crime and Asset Seizure with Turkish Political Governance over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/25/turkeys-president-scraps-move-to-close-liber…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 4

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info

Claim 1: “Among those seized were the television channels Habertürk and Show TV, the financial news channel Bloomberg HT, the Doğa school network, and Istanbul Bilgi University.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is only supported by one cross-reference (EuroNews). No other independent sources in the provided evidence confirm the seizure of these specific assets.

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — Among those seized were the television channels Habertürk and Show TV, the financial news channel Bloomberg HT, the Doğa school network, and Istanbul Bilgi University
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/22/erdogan-signs-decree-clo…

schedule

Claim 2: “It currently controls more than 1,000 companies.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 3: “It cited a law allowing for the closure of a private institution if "the expected level of education and training...is insufficient,"”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by both a cross-reference (Al Jazeera) and a web search result (FMT), both citing the specific legal justification regarding the 'expected level of education and training'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bilgi University had previously told T24 that Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University had served in that role since 2021. If it cannot accommodate all students, the Council of Higher Education will designate…
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/22/erdogan-signs-decree-clo…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — It cited a law allowing for the closure of a private institution if “the expected level of education and training… is insufficient” – a charge rejected by Bilgi students and staff.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/05/25/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The closure decision sparked protests from students, who have refused to leave the campus for the past three days. Yesterday, police responded to the protest with tear gas and rubber bullets, detainin…
https://bianet.org/haber/erdogan-reopens-istanbul-bilgi-univ…

+ 1 more evidence source

check_circle

Claim 4: “Erdoğan on Friday ordered its closure in the middle of the school year, in an official decree.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that Erdoğan ordered the closure on Friday in the middle of the school year via an official decree.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 6 hours ago ... Erdoğan on Friday ordered its closure in the middle of the school year, in an official decree. It cited a law allowing for the closure of a ...
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/25/turkeys-president-scraps…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 hours ago ... President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reversed a decree to close private Istanbul Bilgi University after days of protests by students and staff ...
https://www.facebook.com/fatunetwork/posts/president-recep-t…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 18 hours ago ... Erdogan on Friday ordered its closure in the middle of the school year, in an official decree. It cited a law allowing for the closure of a ...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/turkish-preside…

schedule

Claim 5: “Can Holding acquired it in 2019 for $90 million.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 6: “Founded on 7 June 1996 as Turkey's fourth private foundation university, Bilgi became part of the Laureate International Universities network, a US-based group operating universities across multiple continents, in 2006.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about the city of Istanbul and tourism, but contains no information regarding the founding date or ownership of Istanbul Bilgi University.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Istanbul[b][c] is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center. With a population of over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey.…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 1, 2025 · Discover the best things to do in Istanbul, Turkey, which include exploring the Hagia Sophia Mosque and Topkapi Palace and cruising down the Bosphorus Strait.
https://travel.usnews.com/Istanbul_Turkey/Things_To_Do/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Istanbul, largest city and principal seaport of Turkey. Historically known as Byzantium and then Constantinople, it was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Istanbu…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Istanbul

check_circle

Claim 7: “Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed his controversial decision on Sunday to close a liberal private university in Istanbul, according to a decree published in the official gazette.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that President Erdoğan reversed the decree to close Istanbul Bilgi University and that this was published in the official gazette.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 6 hours ago ... Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed his controversial decision on Sunday to close ... decree published in the official gazette ...
https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/25/turkeys-president-scraps…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 7 hours ago ... ... university in Istanbul, according to a decree published in the official gazette. Hundreds of students and lecturers demonstrated earlier in ...
https://x.com/AFP/status/2058826262735380694

schedule

Claim 8: “Bilgi, which participates in the EU's Erasmus exchange programme, has more than 20,000 students from both Turkey and abroad”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 9: “The TMSF was established in 1983 as a banking deposit insurance body”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “its mandate was significantly expanded by government decrees following the 2016 coup attempt and further broadened by legislative amendments that came into force in January 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “The three media outlets had been acquired by Can Holding in December 2024.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 12: “The decree to close the university... came eight months after its owner was seized by the state in a criminal investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'closure' and a Wikipedia entry on computer programming, which are irrelevant to the factual claim about the university's owner.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In programming languages, a closure, also lexical closure or function closure, is a technique for implementing lexically scoped name binding in a language with first-class functions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closure_(computer_programming)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 15, 2026 · The meaning of CLOSURE is an act of closing : the condition of being closed. How to use closure in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/closure

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — CLOSURE definition: 1. the fact of a business, organization, etc. stopping operating: 2. a process for ending a debate…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/closure

help

Claim 13: “As part of the operation, 121 Can Holding companies were seized and placed under the management of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

info

Claim 14: “Hundreds of students and lecturers demonstrated earlier in the day outside the main campus of Istanbul Bilgi University, which has been closed since Friday, to demand its reopening.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this specific claim index consists of general information about the city of Istanbul, which does not mention protests or the university's closure.

travel_explore

schedule

Claim 15: “Erdoğan, in office since 2003 as prime minister and then president”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 16: “Detention orders were issued for 10 people, including principals Mehmet Şakir Can, Kemal Can and Kenan Tekdağ.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by a cross-reference (EuroNews) and multiple web search results (KÜRE Encyclopedia, other news reports) confirming detention orders for 10 people including Mehmet Şakir Can, Kemal Can, and Kenan Tekdağ.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sep 16, 2025 ... ... Mehmet Şakir Can, and Kenan Tekdağ, all reportedly linked to Can Holding. ... Detention orders were issued for 10 people, 4 of whom were caught.
https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/judicial-investigation-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Oct 22, 2025 ... Eleven people, including former İstanbul Bilgi University Rector Remzi Sanver and Can Broadcast Holding Chairman Kenan Tekdağ, were arrested ...
https://bianet.org/haber/former-university-rector-media-exec…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Oct 2, 2025 ... ... Can Holding Chairman Kenan Tekdağ ... Of two other senior figures, Kemal Can has since been arrested, while Mehmet Şakir Can remains at large.
https://turkishminute.com/2025/10/02/turkey-arrests-son-of-f…

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 17: “The Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched its investigation into Can Holding in September 2025, alleging that the group's principals had established a criminal organisation and engaged in money laundering and tax evasion.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results related to adult content and does not mention the prosecutor's office or Can Holding.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jan 30, 2025 · Berikut adalah 15 platform untuk nonton video bokeh atau film jepang gratis secara legal tanpa harus menggunakan proxy VPN, baca artikel berikut ini hingga tuntas agar tidak salah paham…
https://www.poskota.co.id/2025/01/30/cek-15-platform-nonton-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Asian nurse loves her patients very much - Full 1 hour Japanese adult movie 6.5M 100% 68min - 1080p
https://www.xnxx.com/search/jepang+cantik+tanpa+sensor

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Results for : bokep japan japanese no sensor full hd STANDARD - 37,210 GOLD - 37,210 Report Mode
https://www.xnxx.com/search/bokep+japan+japanese+no+sensor+f…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.