By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Azerbaijan barred 31 Turkish citizens from entering the country on October 21, including Yeniden Refah Party leader Fatih Erbakan, DEM Party lawmaker Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu and HÜDA PAR deputy chairman Yahya Uğraş.
In statement No. 406/26, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry declared the group "undesirable persons" under Azerbaijani law. The list also includes journalists, writers, religious figures and former football referee and commentator Ahmet Çakar.
The ministry accused people on the list of making online statements against Azerbaijan's sovereignty, national security, constitutional order, people and leadership. It also alleged calls for the forcible removal of the government, violence motivated by religious radicalism and incitement to religious hatred.
The statement did not identify the posts behind the decision, specify which allegation applied to each person or give an expiry date for the bans. It warned that further measures could follow.
School headscarf dispute
The decision comes during a dispute over school dress rules in Azerbaijan. The new rules do not explicitly ban headscarves, but some schools have turned away girls wearing them, prompting protests and criticism from figures in Türkiye.
The Foreign Ministry did not mention the headscarf controversy in its entry-ban announcement. Its accusations cannot be tied to that dispute alone on the basis of the published statement.
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku on October 15. The official accounts of the meeting referred to bilateral relations but did not mention plans for entry bans.
The 31 people named and their roles
The Foreign Ministry published the following names and descriptions, in this order:
Ahmet Barış İyison — Head of İyison Medya and the Gazeteciabi project
Cem Özyurt — Blogger
Akın Duru — TV8 and Acunmedya employee
Dursun Eker — Journalist, File Prodüksiyon Hizmetleri
Adem Özköse — Journalist, political analyst and writer
Muhammed Emin Yıldırım — Istanbul representative of Köklü Değişim magazine and media group
Cüneyt Sezer — Blogger, sociologist, publicist and political analyst
Serhat Koyuncu — Public figure
Mikail Ayyıldız — Religious writer and researcher
Ahi Aratoğlu — Research writer, poet and sociologist
Muharrem Çavuş — Head of AK Parti Boğaziçi Youth Branch (2020–2025)
Fatih Erbakan — Chairman of the Yeniden Refah Party
Yahya Uğraş — Deputy chairman of HÜDA PAR
Aydın Binboğa — Economist and politician
Hakkı Eren — Journalist with Köklü Değişim
Sait Seyitoğlu — Head of financial and administrative affairs for HÜDA PAR in Batman
Mehmet Boynukalın — Marmara University theology professor and Hagia Sophia imam
Okan Aytaş — Journalist and owner of Finansopia Medya
Mert Armağan — Journalist
Yaşar Yavuz — Journalist with Yeni Şafak, Diriliş Postası and Referans
Ahmet Sırrı Arvas — Poet, journalist and writer
Yusuf Kaplan — Writer and journalist
Erdinç Teğmen — Owner of Erte Medya
Ahmet Çakar — Sports commentator and former football referee
Halil Atakan Ay — Theologian
İsmail Kılıçarslan — TVNET and Yeni Şafak contributor
Murat Şahin — Akit TV program host
İrfan Kaya Ülger — Akit TV program host
Fatin Dağistanlı — Akit TV program host
Ömer Ulutaş — Chairman of the Toprak Party
Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu — Member of Parliament
Sources: Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Bosphorus News review and reporting.