2024 in Turkey explained

Individuals and events related to 2024 in Turkey.

Incumbents

Office	Image	Name	Tenure / Current length
President		Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Vice President of Turkey		Cevdet Yılmaz
30th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly		Numan Kurtulmuş
President of the Constitutional Court		Zühtü Arslan
Minister of National Defense		Yaşar Güler
Chief of the Turkish General Staff		Metin Gürak

Events

Ongoing

• Purges in Turkey (2016–present)

January

• 13 January – Turkey launches airstrikes against Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria following an attack on Turkish soldiers in Iraq which killed nine.^[1]
• 23 January – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey approves Sweden's NATO membership bid.^[2]
• 25 January – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signs and approves the proposal containing Sweden's accession protocol to NATO.^[3]
• 28 January – 2024 Istanbul church shooting: One person is killed and another is injured during a shooting by two gunmen at the Church of Santa Maria in Istanbul.^[4]

February

• 1 February – A gunman takes seven hostages at a factory owned by U.S. company Procter & Gamble in Gebze, Kocaeli Province, in an apparent protest against the war in Gaza. The perpetrator is later arrested unharmed and all the hostages are freed.^[5]
• 6 February – Two Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front gunmen open fire outside the Istanbul Justice Palace, wounding six people, before being killed during a shootout with police.^[6]
• 10 February – Gunmen open fire at a campaign event in the Küçükçekmece district municipality of Istanbul for AK Party mayoral candidate Aziz Yeniay, critically injuring one person. Seventeen people are arrested in connection with the attack.^[7]
• 13 February – Nine miners are killed after a landslide near the Çöpler mine in İliç, Erzincan Province.^{[8] [9]}
• 25 February – Turkey launches an airstrike in northern Iraq, killing four alleged PKK members.^[10]

March

• 5 March – One person is killed in Bursa Province following a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that had its epicenter in Çanakkale Province.^[11]
• 15 March – A migrant boat sinks near Gökçeada in the Aegean Sea, killing 22 people including seven children. Two people are rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard off Eceabat, Çanakkale Province while two others manage to swim to shore.^[12]
• 20–21 March – 2024 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships at Antalya^[13]
• 31 March –
  • 2024 Turkish local elections^[14]
  • 2024 Istanbul mayoral election: Ekrem İmamoğlu is re-elected as mayor of Istanbul.^[15]

April

• 2 April:
  • Gayrettepe nightclub fire – A fire at a nightclub in Beşiktaş, Istanbul kills at least 29 people.^[16]
  • Authorities annul the victory of DEM candidate Abdullah Zeydan in the mayoral election in Van and declare his rival from the AK Party the winner instead.^[17] Following public uproar and an appeal from Zeydan, the Supreme Election Board reinstates him as the winner.^[18]
• 12 April - One person is killed and seven others are injured after a cable car falls on rocky ground due to a collapsed pylon outside Antalya. The accident also leaves 184 people stranded across the entire cable car system.^[19]
• 18 April - A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Tokat Province, destroying several buildings there and in neighboring Yozgat Province.^[20]

May

• 2 May – Turkey suspends all trade with Israel in response to their conduct in the war in Gaza, after previously suspending exports in a limited category of goods in April.^[21]
• 6 May:
  • The Turkish Air Force carries out airstrikes on Iraqi Kurdistan, reportedly killing 16 PKK insurgents.^[22]
  • The Byzantine-era Chora church in Istanbul formally reopens to Muslim worshippers as a mosque.^[23]
• 9 May – A Boeing 737 passenger aircraft belonging to Corendon Airlines makes an emergency landing at Gazipaşa–Alanya Airport after one of its tires bursts.^[24]
• 13 May – President Erdoğan meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara.^[25]
• 17 May – President Erdoğan issues pardons to seven senior military officers who were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 for their role in the 1997 Turkish military memorandum that ousted Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.^[26]
• 26 May - Ten people are killed and 39 others are injured after a bus collides with three other vehicles in the Tarsus district near Mersin.^[27]
• 31 May – Turkey launches drone strikes on Syrian Democratic Forces targets in Qamishli, Syria, killing four militants and injuring 11 civilians.^[28]

June

• 2 June - One person is killed and eight others are injured after an apartment building collapses in Küçükçekmece, Istanbul.^[29]
• 3 June - Mehmet Sıddık Akış, the DEM mayor of Hakkâri, is removed from office and arrested on suspicion of having links with the PKK.^[30] He is sentenced to 19 years' imprisonment over the charges on 5 June.^[31]
• 4 June - An SF-260D trainer aircraft of the Turkish Air Force crashes into farmland near Kayseri, killing its two pilots.^[32]
• 21 June - 2024 Turkey wildfires – A crop fire in the border between Mardin and Diyarbakır Provinces leaves 11 people dead and ravages three settlements.^[33]
• 28 June - The Financial Action Task Force removes Turkey from its "gray list" of countries not fully complying with measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.^[34]
• 29 June to 7 July – 2024 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup^[35]
• 30 June:
  • Five people are killed after a propane tank explodes inside a restaurant in İzmir.^[36]
  • A riot targeting Syrian refugees in Melikgazi, Kayseri Province, leads to the arrest of 67 people.^[37]

July

• 1 July – Seven people are killed after anti-Turkish protests break out in Turkish-occupied Northern Syria following anti-Syrian riots in Turkey a day earlier.^[38]
• 4 July – Germany summons Turkey's ambassador in Berlin in a tit-for-tat move over footballer Merih Demiral's wolf salute gesture while celebrating a goal at the UEFA Euro 2024.^[39]
• 9 July – A life raft carrying migrants bound for Europe sinks off the coast of Çeşme after being reportedly pushed back by Greek authorities, killing seven people.^[40]
• 29 July – The Grand National Assembly of Turkey approves a law aiming to euthanize a portion of the country's four million stray dogs, specifically targeting those that are sick or deemed aggressive.^[41]
• 30 July –
  • The Turkish defense ministry says that it targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with air strikes, killing 13 people.^[42]
  • Turkey and Armenia resume talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations and agree to simplify visa rules for some passport holders.^[43]

August

• 1 August – 2024 American–Russian prisoner exchange: Twenty-six individuals are released from Ankara Esenboğa Airport in a prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia.^[44]
• 2 August – Turkey blocks internet access to Instagram, following comments made by presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun that condemned Meta Platforms for taking down Instagram posts offering condolences or expressing sorrow towards the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.^[45] The blockage is lifted on 10 August.^[46]
• 7 August – Turkey files a petition at the International Court of Justice to join the South African-led lawsuit against Israel over genocide charges in the war in Gaza.^[47]
• 9 August – An intercity bus traveling from İzmir to Ağrı crashes into an overpass pillar in Polatlı, Ankara Province, killing nine people and injuring 26 others.^[48]
• 12 August – At least five people are injured in a knife attack at a mosque in Eskişehir. An 18-year old suspect is arrested.^[49]
• 16 August – A brawl breaks out at the Grand National Assembly during a debate regarding the eligibility of imprisoned MP Can Atalay to assume his seat.^[50]
• 18 August:
  • At least 26 people are reported injured following days of wildfires in the İzmir area.^[51]
  • An Israeli businessman of Palestinian origin is killed in a gun attack in Kağıthane municipality of Istanbul.^[52]
• 28 August – One person is killed and 38 others are injured, two of them seriously, when two Metrobus vehicles collide in Küçükçekmece, Istanbul.^[53]
• 30 August – The Turkish Military Academy sees women cadets become valedictorians of the three service branches of the Turkish Armed Forces for the first time. However, an investigation is subsequently launched after around 400 cadets were found to have taken an unauthorized secularist oath at their graduation ceremony.^[54]

September

• 2 September –
  • Turkey formally applies to join the BRICS geopolitical bloc, citing the lack of progress in its accession to the European Union.^[55]
  • Fifteen members of the Youth Union of Turkey are arrested on suspicion of assaulting two US Navy personnel in Izmir.^[56]
• 5 September – A Turkish drone strike kills three people, including a child, in Iraqi Kurdistan one day after a similar attack on a car in the region killed three people from the same family.^[57]
• 6 September – Vistara Airlines Flight VTI027 going from Mumbai to Frankfurt makes an emergency landing at Erzurum Airport after receiving a bomb threat that turns out negative.^[58]
• 9 September – The Turkish Ministry of Defense announces that a Turkish soldier was killed in clashes with the PKK in northern Iraq.^[59]

October

• 16 October –
  • Açık Radyo makes its final broadcast following a shutdown order from the Radio and Television Supreme Council on grounds of allegedly inciting hatred following comments made by a guest on the Armenian Genocide.^[60]
  • A magnitude 5.9 earthquake hits Kale, Malatya, injuring at least 40 people across the east of the country.^[61]
• 17 October – A bus carrying Japanese tourists crashes into a ditch in Afyonkarahisar Province, injuring 22 people.^[62]
• 18 October – A bus overturns in Aksaray Province, killing six people and injuring 25 others.^[63]
• 23 October – Five people are killed while 22 others are injured in a gun and bomb attack on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries in Kahramankazan, Ankara Province that is blamed on the PKK.^[64] The two attackers are also killed.^[65]
• 30 October – Ahmet Özer, the CHP mayor of Esenyurt, Istanbul Province, is arrested on suspicion of having links with the PKK.^[66]

November

• 4 November – The DEM mayors of Batman, Mardin and Halfeti are dismissed on suspicion of having links with the PKK.^[67]
• 5 November – At least 12 people are injured in an explosion and fire at an oil refinery of Tüpraş in Izmit.^[68]
• 11 November – Former MKE Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca is convicted and sentenced to 3.5 years' imprisonment by a court in Ankara for assaulting a referee during a Süper Lig game in 2023.^[69]
• 22 November – The DEM mayors of Tunceli and Ovacik are dismissed on suspicion of having links with the PKK.^[70]
• 24 November – The engine of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft operated by Azimuth catches fire shortly after landing in Antalya Airport from Sochi. All 95 passengers and crew on board are evacuated without injury.^[71]

Holidays

^{[72] [73]}

• 1 January – New Year's Day
• 10 April to 12 April – Ramazan Bayramı
• 23 April – Children's Day
• 1 May – Labour Day
• 19 May – Youth and Sports Day
• 16 June to 19 June – Kurban Bayramı
• 15 July – Democracy and National Unity Day
• 30 August – Victory Day
• 29 October – Republic Day

Arts and entertainment

• List of Turkish films of 2024
• List of 2024 box office number-one films in Turkey
• List of Turkish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
• List of Turkish European Film Award winners and nominees

Deaths

• 4 January – Ayla Algan, 86, singer and actress (The House of Leyla, O Hayat Benim, Binbir Gece).^[74]
• 20 October – Fethullah Gülen, 83, Islamic preacher.^[75]

See also

• Outline of Turkey
• Index of Turkey-related articles
• List of Turkey-related topics
• History of Turkey
• Other events in 2024

References

Citations

External links

• Online calendar

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2024-01-13 . Turkey launches airstrikes against Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria after 9 soldiers were killed . 2024-01-13 . AP News . en.
2. Web site: Sariyuce . Isil . Gretener . Jessie . Wilson . Kristin . 2024-01-23 . Turkish parliament approves Sweden's NATO membership bid . 2024-01-24 . CNN . en.
3. Web site: 2024-01-25. Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, İsveç'in NATO üyeliği kararını onayladı. ntv.com.tr. tr. 6 February 2024. 6 February 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240206113538/https://www.ntv.com.tr/amp/turkiye/son-dakika-haberi-cumhurbaskani-erdogan-isvecin-nato-uyeligikararini-onayladi,kjvWV5WQmkiTPnIig-d2PQ. live.
4. Web site: 2024-01-28 . 2 masked assailants attack a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul and kill 1 person . 2024-01-28 . AP News . en.
5. News: Staff . 2024-02-01 . Procter & Gamble staff held hostage in Turkish factory freed in police raid . 2024-02-02 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
6. Web site: Turkish police kill 2 attackers after assault on Istanbul court injures 6 . 2024-02-06 . Al Jazeera . en.
7. News: 11 February 2024 . 17 people detained after attack at Istanbul election campaign event, official says . Associated Press.
8. Web site: 2024-02-13 . Mijnwerkers onder puin in goudmijn na aardverschuiving Turkije . 2024-02-14 . nos.nl . nl.
9. News: İliç'te beş işçinin daha cansız bedenine ulaşıldı . Diken . 10 June 2024 . tr . 12 June 2024 .
10. Web site: 2024-02-25 . 4 PKK terrorists 'neutralized' in northern Iraq . 2024-02-26 . Hürriyet Daily News . en.
11. Web site: Moderate earthquake causes panic in western Turkey, leading to 1 death . 2024-04-19 . Turkish Minute . 5 March 2024 . en.
12. Web site: Migrant boat sinks off Turkish Aegean coast, killing at least 22 people . 2024-03-15 . Al Jazeera . en.
13. World Race Walking Team Championships . World Athletics.org . 22 March 2023 . 5 November 2023.
14. Web site: Alper Coşkun . 1 June 2023 . Erdoğan's Next Fight . 9 November 2023 . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
15. Web site: March 31, 2024 . Istanbul Mayor Race . .
16. Web site: Zaman . Tanem . Alam . Hande Atay . 2024-04-02 . Fire at Istanbul nightclub kills dozens during renovation work, state media says . 2024-04-02 . CNN . en.
17. Web site: 3 April 2024 . Turkey replaces Kurdish mayor with government candidate two days after vote . 3 April 2024 . Euractiv . 3 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403054311/https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/turkey-replaces-kurdish-mayor-with-government-candidate-two-days-after-vote/ . live .
18. Web site: Turkey's top election authority restores newly elected pro-Kurdish mayor's right to hold office. 3 April 2024. Associated Press. 3 April 2024.
19. Web site: One killed and 184 stranded midair after cable car collapses in Turkey . 12 April 2024. The Guardian. 13 April 2024.
20. Web site: A magnitude 5.6 quake hits central Turkey, damaging some homes. No serious injuries are reported . 19 April 2024. Associated Press. 19 April 2024.
21. News: Jolly . Jasper . 2024-05-02 . Turkey reportedly halts all trade with Israel over war in Gaza . 2024-05-02 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
22. Web site: May 6, 2024 . Turkey strikes northern Iraq from air, says it kills PKK members . .
23. Web site: 2024-05-06 . Turkey formally opens another former Byzantine-era church as a mosque . 2024-05-06 . AP News . en.
24. Web site: Boeing 737: Plane skids off runway in Senegal, tyre bursts in Turkey . 2024-05-09 . Al Jazeera . en.
25. Web site: Turkey's Erdogan meets Greek PM, sees 'no unsolvable problems' in ties . 2024-05-09 . Al Jazeera . en.
26. Web site: Turkey's Erdogan pardons elderly generals imprisoned over 1997 'postmodern coup' . 2024-05-17 . Associated Press . 17 May 2024 . en.
27. News: 26 May 2024 . Ten dead, 39 injured in southern Turkey highway collision . 26 May 2024 . Reuters.
28. Web site: Turkish drone strikes in Syria kill 4 U.S.-backed fighters, wound 11 civilians, Kurdish group says . 4 June 2024 . Associated Press . 31 May 2024 . en.
29. News: 2 June 2024 . 1 dead and 8 injured in Istanbul apartment building collapse . 2 June 2024 . Associated Press.
30. News: 5 June 2024 . Pro-Kurdish lawmakers stage protest in Turkey's parliament to denounce the ouster of a new mayor . 5 June 2024 . Associated Press.
31. News: 5 June 2024 . Erdoğan defends dismissal, sentencing of Hakkari mayor . 5 June 2024 . Hürriyet Daily News.
32. News: 4 June 2024 . A military training plane crashes in central Turkey, killing its 2 pilots . 4 June 2024 . Associated Press.
33. News: 21 June 2024 . A fire that spread through settlements in Turkey left 11 dead. Greece evacuates villages for safety . 21 June 2024 . Associated Press.
34. News: 28 June 2024 . Turkey welcomes removal from a key money-laundering watchlist, hoping to boost foreign investment . 28 June 2024 . Associated Press.
35. Web site: U17 and U19 Youth World Cups hosts confirmed for 2024–2027 . 29 November 2022 . 5 November 2023 . FIBA.
36. News: 1 July 2024 . A propane tank explosion in western Turkey has killed 5 people and injured 63 others . 1 July 2024 . Associated Press.
37. News: 2 July 2024 . Turkey's president accuses opposition of stoking racism after anti-Syrian rioting erupts . 2 July 2024 . Associated Press.
38. News: 2 July 2024 . Seven protesters killed in north Syria clashes with Turkish forces: new toll . 2 July 2024 . Associated Press.
39. Web site: Schmidt . Nadine . 2024-07-04 . Germany summons Turkish ambassador as row erupts over alleged right-wing salute goal celebration at Euro 2024 . 2024-07-04 . CNN . en.
40. Web site: 2024-07-09 . Migrant raft crashes into rocks and sinks off Turkish coast, killing 7. Nineteen others are rescued . 2024-07-09 . Associated Press . en.
41. Web site: 2024-07-29 . Turkey approves controversial stray dog cull . 2024-07-29 . South China Morning Post . en.
42. Web site: July 30, 2024 . Turkey says it killed 13 Kurdish militants in northern Iraq . .
43. Web site: July 30, 2024 . Turkey, Armenia make progress in normalization talks .
44. Web site: Russia Releases Evan Gershkovich in Sweeping Prisoner Swap, Turkish Officials Say . 1 August 2024 . Troianovski . Anton . Mazzetti . Mark . Hubbard . Ben . Anton Troianovski . Mark Mazzetti . . 1 August 2024.
45. Web site: August 2, 2024 . Turkey blocks access to Instagram platform but gives no reason . Reuters.
46. Web site: August 11, 2024 . Turkey suddenly reinstates access to Instagram after more than a week . Associated Press.
47. Web site: August 7, 2024 . Turkey formally asks to join the genocide case against Israel at the UN court . Associated Press.
48. Web site: August 9, 2024 . A bus crashes into a pillar of an overpass in Turkey, killing 9 people and injuring 26 others . Associated Press.
49. Web site: August 13, 2024 . Turkey arrests teenager for stabbing attack at mosque . Al Jazeera.
50. Web site: August 16, 2024 . Lawmakers in Turkey draw blood in brawl during debate on jailed colleague . Associated Press.
51. Web site: August 18, 2024 . From paradise to hell: Aegean village stunned after Turkey fire . France 24.
52. Web site: August 19, 2024 . 1 Israeli Arab killed and 2 wounded in a shooting on a street in Istanbul . Associated Press.
53. Web site: 2024-08-29 . Küçükçekmece'de metrobüsler çarpıştı: 1 ölü, 53 yaralı . 2024-09-02 . TRT Haber . tr.
54. Web site: 2024-08-29 . Turkish president vows to 'purge' military graduates who took a pro-secular oath . 2024-09-08 . Associated Press . en.
55. News: Turkey Bids to Join BRICS in Push to Build Alliances Beyond West . 2024-09-02 . Bloomberg.
56. Web site: Turkey detains 15 members of anti-American youth group for assaulting 2 US servicemen . 2024-09-03 . Associated Press. 2 September 2024 .
57. Web site: Drone Strike Kills 3 In Iraq's Kurdish Region: Official . 2024-09-06 . Barron's . en-US.
58. Web site: Bomb threat forces Vistara airline plane en route to Frankfurt to land in Turkey . 2024-09-07 . Associated Press. 6 September 2024 .
59. Web site: 2024-09-09 . Turkish soldier killed in clashes with PKK terrorists in Iraq . 2024-09-09 . Daily Sabah . en-US.
60. Web site: 2024-10-16 . Turkey shuts down radio station in Armenia genocide row . 2024-10-16 . France 24.
61. Web site: 2024-10-16 . An earthquake measuring 5.9 hits eastern Turkey, causing panic but no major damage . 2024-10-16 . Associated Press.
62. Web site: 2024-10-17 . Bus carrying Japanese tourists crashes in Turkey. 22 people are injured . 2024-10-17 . Associated Press.
63. Web site: 2024-10-18 . Six dead, 25 injured in Turkey bus accident . 2024-10-18 . eKathimerini.
64. Web site: 2024-10-24 . At least five killed in attack on aerospace firm near Turkey's Ankara . 2024-10-24 . Al Jazeera.
65. Web site: Turkey: Kurdish militant group behind attack on aerospace firm . 26 October 2024 . BBC.
66. News: 30 October 2024 . Mayor from Turkey's main opposition party is detained over alleged ties to Kurdish militants . 30 October 2024 . Associated Press.
67. Web site: 2024-11-04 . Turkey sacks 3 pro-Kurdish mayors for 'terror ties' . 2024-11-04 . France 24.
68. Web site: 2024-11-05 . Explosion at Turkish oil refinery injures 12 . 2024-11-05 . Associated Press.
69. Web site: 2024-11-11 . Former Turkish soccer club president sentenced to prison for attacking referee . 2024-11-11 . Associated Press.
70. Web site: 2024-11-23 . Turkey removes two more pro-Kurdish mayors from office for links to banned group . 2024-11-23 . Associated Press.
71. Web site: 2024-11-25 . Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkey but passengers and crew are safely evacuated . 2024-11-25 . Associated Press.
72. Web site: Turkey Public Holidays 2024. 1 November 2023 . Public Holidays Global.
73. Web site: Turkey Public Holidays 2024. 2 November 2023 . Office Holidays.
74. Web site: 2024-01-04 . Tiyatro sanatçısı Ayla Algan vefat etti . 2024-01-04 . TRT Haber . tr.
75. Web site: 2024-01-04 . US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of Turkey coup attempt, dies at 83 . 2024-10-21 . Al Jazeera . en.