The leaked memo shows that Erdogan has not ordered psychological operations to distract scandal, opposition to framework

Levent Kenez / Stockholm

A leaked guideline of the Turkish communication directorate, which is often referred to as propaganda arm by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has shown that coordinated psychological operations aim to manipulate the public perception of the latest scandals in which the Turkish government and Erdogan's internal circle are involved. The document, which was allegedly written by the Communication Director Fahlin Altun, informs the governible legislators, media and commentators how harmful developments can be deleted as foreign actions and compression campaigns by opposition groups.

The internal memo, which came to light on April 30 after quoting the Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgur Özel and later passed on to Turkish media, comprises talks and narrative strategies in order to counteract widespread reports on corruption, organized crime connections and wear and tear of state power.

One of the most explosive revelations in the guideline is the instruction, the recent claims with mafia-bound businessman Halil Falyym, who was murdered in northern Cyprus in 2022, was murdered as part of a campaign of foreign secret services and the Gülen movement, a group of Erdogan. The scandal, which has shaken Ankara in the past few weeks, contains allegations that former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and former Vice President Fuat Oktay accepted millions in bribes and that the compromises in ribbons in which Erdogan's son Burak and Erildirim were involved, the former prime minister Binali Yıldırım.

Revelations Made by Cemil ÖNAL, to Accountant Who Worked for the Falyalı Family Between 2014 and 2021 and Played a Key Role in Establishing a Large-Scale Money Lundering Scheme for Illicit Funds, Were first raised by the main opposition on April 15th Leader Özel Claim that falyalı and his associates had moved large sums of money to launder through, turkey and the united kingdom with the assistance of turkish government officials.

The accusations of ÖNAL indicate that President Erdogan and his family members have made it easier for illegal means of drug trafficking and illegal online competition operations in Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus.

ÖNAL also claimed that Falyality had accumulated numerous sex bands of government officials and politicians who were shot in his hotels in Cyprus, which contained intimate files.

According to reports that were published in the Dutch media in the afternoon of May 1, Cemil ÖNAL was shot in the bar of the hotel, where he was in the Hague. While the Dutch police have not yet published an official declaration, sources have confirmed that the victim was actually oil.

In response to this, Altun instructed the government's allies to present the allegations as part of a “foreign intelligence company”, which they combined with the Gülen movement, which the Erdogan government describes as a terrorist organization.

“Do not keep this in the spotlight. Do not hesitate to carry out psychological operations. Keep it connected to the international media,” Altun wrote, according to the memos screenshots, which are distributed in the media.

The leaked communication also contains topics of conversation on other domestic topics. After a strong earthquake that Istanbul reached last week, Altun's note asked the natural disaster as an opportunity for urban transformation to accuse the prevailing judicial and development party (AKP) with new housing initiatives and the guilt of the CHP for allegedly resistance lawyers in the renewal of the city.

The memo also refers to the detention and the subsequent arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu and dozens of municipal officials, a step that is widely considered a political maneuver to weaken Erdogan's most impressive rivals before future elections. Surveys have shown that the public sees the arrests as a politically motivated exertion in order to remove an increasing opposition figure.

Altun instructed the allies to highlight the “illegality and corruption” of the Imamoglu administration and at the same time to downplay the political context of the arrests. “Do not repeat the opposition language. Put it as responsibility and escalate tensions,” says the memo.

The document also recommends branding working organizations that have condemned the May Day at the Taksim Square in Istanbul as “terrorists” in a step -human rights groups as an authoritarian. Despite the symbolic value of the Square for work movements and the short-lived efforts of Turkey to liberalize their use in the early 2010s, the Erdogan government has long restricted political meetings there for a long time, especially according to the protests of Gezi Park in Gegi Park.

The guideline calls on the criminalization of the groups that insist on protesting in Taksim, and encourages media numbers to combine these organizations with violent extremist groups, a tactics that are often used in Turkish media reporting on opposition activities.

The leaked memorandum also contains instructions on the design of stories in the Turkish judiciary and the Kurdish political movement. It indicates the state -oriented voices to emphasize the independence of the judiciary when growing accusations of political interference in legal processes. In addition, the memo contains guidelines, such as one can report on developments in which Kurdish politicians are involved and the forbidden Kurdistan workers' party (PKK).

Altun did not deny the authenticity of the memos. In a post on X, he accused opposition leader Özel not to have “not recognized the state” and implied that his instructions matched his official duties.

“We will continue to fight for the truth with all of our colleagues. They cannot intimidate us, they cannot silence us,” wrote Altun.

The revelations come under the increased testing of the rapidly growing budget, the employee and the influence of the management for communication. The agency was created in 2018 and officially commissioned the promotion of the international image of Türkiye and the fight against disinformation and is under fire because it works more like a partisan propaganda.

At a budget meeting of 2025 in parliament on November 29, 2024, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz claimed that the management existed in order to “strengthen the communication between the government and the citizens” and “Global's perspectives”. However, opposition legislators have criticized his actual operations and undercut massive expenditure and employees as proof of his political benefits towards the Erdogan regime.

After a budget of 344 million Turkish Lira (approx. 9.9 million US dollars) in 2019, the management was financed to a proposed Lira of $ 6.1 billion (approx. $ 175 million) for 2025, an almost 16-fold increase. The workforce also rose from 584 employees in 2018 to more than 1,600 by the end of 2024. The legislators say that the institution now has more funds than 157 other public institutions, including those associated with national defense, science and education.

The management also benefits from the government's discretion funds, which are not reflected in their official budget.

Altun himself has become a lightning rod for criticism. Often the “media commissioner” of Türkiye describes, he is supposed to monitor editorial content in pro government outlet, coordinate topics in television channels via the TV networks and even questions to Erdogan in advance during public appearances. In a nation -Branding forum in 2022, Altun said that “the most powerful brand of Türkiye itself is Erdogan itself”, which increases the allegations that the true mission of the management is more image management than the public service.

Altuns connections to Erdogan are not only ideological, but also financially lucrative. He sits on the board of the Istanbul Stock Exchange and is a trustee of Manas University in Kyrgyzstan. His wife Fatmanur Altun, an academic at Marmara University, is also a member of the board of Turkish Airlines and previously headed Turget, a foundation that is generally assumed that she is checked by Erdogan's family.

To the controversy, the current headquarters of the management were once a dormitory for students who were built for non -profit donations from donations from the businessman Akın İpek, which now lived in exile. After the government confiscated its assets, the building was initially transferred to the ministries and finally the communication directorate. Ipek had opposed the pressure to take his media a taxable editorial line, and had refused to pay Erdogan bribes.

In the meantime, the 79-year-old mother of Ipek was arrested on November 9, 2024, which critics describe as a continuation of the government's political retaliation.