Foreign travel ban imposed on TUSIAD’s president, chairman

Following Feb. 13 speeches by the Turkish Industry and Business Association’s (TUSIAD) General Assembly that were highly critical of the state of affairs in Türkiye, tensions have escalated between TUSIAD and the Turkish government.

On Feb. 14, an investigation was launched against TUSIAD’s Chairman of the High Advisory Board Omer Aras. Now, a travel ban has been issued against Aras and TUSIAD’s President Orhan Turan following their testimonies.

Travel ban decision: Spreading misleading information

Aras has been accused of making misleading statements and spreading false information related to Türkiye’s internal and external security. He was charged with “attempting to influence the judiciary and publicly disseminating false information.” After the investigation into Aras, the same charges were filed against Orhan Turan earlier.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office claimed that Turan and Aras used misinformation based solely on press reports and not personal knowledge of the events they spoke about. The prosecutors argued that the two men had spread false information that could undermine Türkiye’s national security and public order. After their interrogation, the two were brought before the Sulh Ceza Court, where a travel ban was imposed on both.

The court’s written decision emphasized that there was concrete evidence indicating that Turan and Aras had intentionally spread misinformation with the aim of creating panic and destabilizing public peace. They were accused of publicly spreading misleading statements about Türkiye’s security, public order, and general health.

Omer Aras, during his testimony, explained that the core message of his speech was about the future growth of Turkey’s economy, offering examples of how to advance the nation and addressing societal concerns.

President Erdogan speaks regarding matter

TUSIAD, which has traditionally avoided direct political confrontation yet remained silent on key periods of escalation in the country, found itself in the government’s crosshairs following the General Assembly.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the matter for the first time on Wednesday, saying “If you want Türkiye to abandon domestic and national production and turn into a weak market of global trade again, know that we will never allow such a thing.”

“The system in which they enriched themselves has collapsed. The system in which they set politics with newspaper headlines has collapsed.”