Erdoğan Unexpectedly Dismisses Head of Presidential Communications Directorate

The official Turkish newspaper reported today, Thursday, that the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has dismissed the head of the communications department at the Turkish Presidency, Fahrettin Altun, from his long-held position in a move described as "surprising".

Altun, who has been heading the communications department at the Turkish Presidency since 2018, is considered one of the leading ideological thinkers and reports directly to the Turkish President.

The communications department at the Turkish Presidency is responsible for government media affairs and public relations.

Critics have accused Altun, who was born in Germany, of suppressing independent media in Turkey and turning government media into propaganda tools.