Have any Turkish courts or law enforcement opened formal investigations into claims that minors from Turkey were trafficked to Epstein?
Executive summary
There is no public evidence in the reporting provided that Turkish courts or Turkish law enforcement have opened formal, verifiable investigations specifically into claims that minors from Turkey were trafficked to Jeffrey Epstein; Turkish opposition figures have pressed the issue using unverified U.S. court documents while Turkish authorities have not confirmed launching a country-specific probe [1] [2]. Multiple outlets note the allegations in the newly released Epstein files are unverified and that Turkish officials have not publicly identified victims or announced formal inquiries tied to those documents [3] [1].
1. What the new documents say and who raised the alarm
U.S. court records and other documents unsealed in waves beginning in 2024 contain allegations—often recorded as witness claims or internal memos—that underage girls from several countries, including Turkey, were involved in Epstein’s trafficking network; Turkish opposition lawmaker Turhan Çömez publicly flagged a specific document suggesting minors were taken from Turkey to Epstein’s island and shared images of the filing on social media [2] [1]. The materials cited in Turkish reporting include references to Adriana Ross being asked whether she knew Epstein had brought underage girls from Turkey and elsewhere, but the court documents do not identify named victims nor do they describe the mechanics of any alleged transportation [2] [3].
2. Turkish state response — silence, denials or no public action?
Reporting compiled from Turkish and international outlets indicates Ankara had not, at the time of these articles, issued an official statement confirming that Turkish law enforcement had identified nationals as victims in the Epstein probe or that prosecutors had opened formal cases tied directly to the U.S. files; Çömez himself said earlier parliamentary questions went unanswered and that Turkish authorities had not responded to his inquiries about the allegations [1] [2]. Opinion pieces and long-form critiques of Turkish institutions argue that domestic files and allegations have often been sealed or allowed to languish without credible investigations, but those pieces are commentary and do not document a court filing or active criminal probe in Turkey specifically related to Epstein [4].
3. What U.S. releases and international coverage actually show
The mass releases by the U.S. Justice Department and other unsealed court records expanded the universe of allegations and lead materials, but multiple international news reports caution these are allegations within prosecution memos, witness statements and internal emails—not judicial findings—and that prosecutors in the U.S. have redacted and withheld materials that could identify victims or jeopardize ongoing inquiries [5] [6]. Major outlets covering the DOJ releases emphasize the documents include raw allegations and that releases prompted renewed calls for accountability and for further scrutiny of third parties, without establishing that foreign governments had opened corresponding criminal cases [7] [8].
4. Alternative explanations, agendas and limits of available reporting
The push by an opposition MP to publicize the documents carries an implicit political agenda—raising questions about state inaction and the handling of sensitive abuse allegations—while opinion pieces argue a broader culture of impunity and sealed "Epstein files" exists in Turkey; these are interpretations rather than proof of a formal Turkish investigation being opened [4] [2]. The sources examined do not contain an official Turkish court docket entry, prosecutor’s statement, or police report that can be cited as evidence of a formal domestic investigation tied specifically to the claims about minors trafficked to Epstein, and therefore a definitive affirmative cannot be supported from the available reporting [1] [3].
5. Bottom line and what remains to be seen
Based on the reporting provided, no verifiable public record shows Turkish courts or law enforcement have opened formal investigations specifically into allegations that minors from Turkey were trafficked to Jeffrey Epstein; the claims surfaced via unverified items in U.S. files and were amplified by Turkish opposition figures, while Turkish authorities have not publicly confirmed victim identifications or launched a country-level probe as of the cited articles [1] [2] [3]. The picture could change if Turkish prosecutors or the Justice Ministry publish an official statement or if court filings emerge; the current reporting documents allegations and political pressure but not a formal Turkish investigative action [5] [9].