06.06.2026 11:20
An investigation has been launched into businessman Rahmi Koç, who sparked backlash with a 'Kurdish woman joke' he told at a hospital opening in Izmir. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated on the matter, 'The scales of justice do not weigh based on anyone's wealth, title, or status; the judiciary always protects human dignity and the law. Statements that harm women's honor, offend their dignity, and are incompatible with our societal sensitivities are never acceptable, no matter who makes them.'
The joke told by Rahmi Koç, a prominent member of one of Turkey's wealthiest families, the Koç Family, during the opening of the Izmir American Hospital sparked backlash.
During the ceremony, while visiting the hospital's examination rooms, Rahmi Koç told a joke to the guests beside him. In the footage captured by cameras, Koç's words, "The doctor listened to the Kurdish woman's complaint and said, 'Madam, get dressed and undressed behind the curtain,' to which the woman replied, 'Doctor, you undress first,'" quickly spread on social media. It was also seen that Binali Yıldırım responded to Koç's joke with laughter.
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED An investigation was initiated by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Rahmi Koç, who became the focus of reactions, for the crime of "Publicly Degrading a Segment of the Population" ex officio.
AKIN GÜRLEK: UNACCEPTABLE After the investigation was launched, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made a statement, saying, "Following the posts on social media platforms where an entrepreneur's statements during an opening program were deemed to target women and citizens belonging to a specific ethnic identity, our Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated an ex officio investigation. The scales of justice do not weigh according to anyone's wealth, title, or status; the judiciary always protects human dignity and the law. Statements that harm women's honor, offend their dignity, and are incompatible with our societal sensitivities are never acceptable, no matter who says them. The fact that such words are uttered under the guise of a 'joke' or humor does not mitigate this discourtesy towards our women and a certain segment of our society. We will resolutely continue to stand against any discriminatory approach targeting the honor of our women, who are the fundamental pillar of our society, and our citizens."
BACKLASH POURS ON RAHMİ KOÇ After the footage spread, many social media users reacted by arguing that the language used targeted Kurdish women and contained discrimination. The hashtag #RahmiKoçÖzürDile quickly trended in Turkey on platform X (formerly Twitter).
PERVİN BULDAN: DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME? One of the first strong reactions from the political front came from Pervin Buldan, a member of the DEM Party Imrali Delegation. Quoting Koç's words in a post on her social media account, Buldan said, "Don't you have any shame? It's disgraceful in one word."
AK PARTY: VERY WRONG AND UGLY Following the growing backlash, an official statement also came from the AK Party front. In a detailed statement on social media, AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik emphasized that discriminatory rhetoric cannot be legitimized under the guise of humor.
The prominent messages from Çelik's statements were listed as follows:
"We condemn any degrading rhetoric directed at women. Discourse regarding women must maintain a respectful, careful, and qualified approach. No segment of our society can be the subject of degrading, discriminatory, or alienating rhetoric based on their faith, ethnic origin, culture, identity, or gender. Degrading approaches based on faith, ethnic origin, and gender breed hate speech. These wrong discourses must definitely be avoided. Associating the term 'Kurdish woman' with degrading rhetoric is contrary to our values, very wrong, and ugly. We clearly and fundamentally reject these wrong and ugly approaches that hurt all of us, including our Kurdish citizens, and all our women. Hate speeches can never be excused under the guise of humor. Correcting wrong discourse and apologizing is a requirement of respect for our values. Everyone must be careful to use a reasonable, qualified, and respectful language regarding faith, culture, ethnic origin, identity, and gender. All our citizens have equal honor, dignity, and value."