eFinder

eFinder

Home › Financial Crime and Asset Seizure › Article

Erdoğan scraps move to close liberal Bilgi University after outcry

EuroNews · · 501 words · By Gavin Blackburn; Burcu Basaran
Financial Crime and Asset Seizure Turkish Political Governance State Intervention in Education
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/25/turkeys-president-scraps-move-to-close-liber…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 4
help Insufficient Evidence 1
info
“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
“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 — 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 — 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
info
“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
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
“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…
check_circle
“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
info
“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
info
“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…
check_circle
“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
help
“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
“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
“The three media outlets had been acquired by Can Holding in December 2024.”
PENDING
schedule
“The TMSF was established in 1983 as a banking deposit insurance body”
PENDING
schedule
“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
schedule
“It currently controls more than 1,000 companies.”
PENDING
schedule
“Can Holding acquired it in 2019 for $90 million.”
PENDING
schedule
“Bilgi, which participates in the EU's Erasmus exchange programme, has more than 20,000 students from both Turkey and abroad”
PENDING
schedule
“Erdoğan, in office since 2003 as prime minister and then president”
PENDING
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.