06.06.2026 15:11
Regarding the "Kurdish woman joke" told by businessman Rahmi Koç, 16 bar associations in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions issued a joint statement and filed a criminal complaint. The bar associations stated that the narrative insulted Kurdish women based on ethnicity and gender, and also strongly condemned the laughter heard in the venue.
A joke about a "Kurdish woman" told by businessman Rahmi Koç at a hospital opening in İzmir caused a major crisis in the legal world and public opinion. After the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation for the crime of "Publicly Denigrating a Segment of the Population," regional bar associations filed a criminal complaint with a joint statement. Following these developments, Rahmi Koç issued a written statement apologizing to the public.
INVESTIGATION FOR "PUBLIC DENIGRATION" FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office took action following images that rapidly spread across some media outlets and social media platforms. In an official statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was announced that an ex officio investigation was launched against Rahmi Koç, Honorary Chairman of Koç Holding, for the crime of "Publicly Denigrating a Segment of the Population" under the Turkish Penal Code, due to the statements he made during the opening ceremony.
JOINT STATEMENT FROM 16 REGIONAL BAR ASSOCIATIONS
As the legal dimension of the incident deepened, a very harsh joint reaction came from 16 bar associations in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions. In the joint statement contained in the file named dfgdffdfggg.jpg, signed by the Bar Associations of Adıyaman, Ağrı, Batman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Tunceli, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Iğdır, Kars, Mardin, Muş, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, and Van, the following expressions were included: "We deplore that in the images reflected to the public, the so-called joke told by a person named Rahmi Koç, containing degrading, sexist, and humiliating expressions about Kurdish women, was met with laughter by individuals, including former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. It is unacceptable for this narrative, which involves the humiliation of Kurdish women based on both their female identity and ethnic affiliation, to be presented as 'humor.'"
REACTION ALSO TARGETS BİNALİ YILDIRIM
In the statement, while it was noted that those in the hall "rewarded" this discourse with laughter, former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım's failure to immediately react to the situation and instead supporting it with his laughter was described as an "unacceptably irresponsible example." The regional bar associations stated that they reject any kind of discriminatory language targeting women, peoples, and human dignity, and announced that they had filed a criminal complaint against the mentioned individuals.
FIRST STATEMENT FROM RAHMİ KOÇ
Following the ex officio investigation launched against him and the wave of rising backlash, the first expected statement came from Rahmi Koç, Honorary Chairman of Koç Holding. Rahmi Koç, who published a written message via Koç Holding's official channels, stated that he had no malicious intent and apologized to the public with the following words: "I sincerely apologize for my words, which were not intended to target any identity. I wish to share my regret sincerely. Respectfully."