A Turkish charity owner at the center of sexual abuse allegations, brought to light by a BBC investigation, has been arrested.
BBC News Turkish revealed accusations that Sadettin Karagoz sexually exploited vulnerable women, promising them aid in return for sex. He denies all the allegations.
Mr. Karagoz set up his charity in Turkey's capital, Ankara, in 2014. Syrian refugees desperate for help said at first he seemed like 'an angel'.
One of them, Madina, fled the Syrian civil war in 2016 and said that two years later, one of her children became critically ill and her husband abandoned her. Her name has been changed to protect her anonymity.
Left to care for three children alone, she went to Sadettin Karagoz's organization, which translates as the Hope Charity Store. It gathers donations for refugees such as nappies, pasta, milk and clothes.
'He told me: 'When you have nowhere to go, come to me and I will look after you,' she says.
But when she did, Madina says he changed. She describes how Mr. Karagoz told her to go with him to an area in the office behind a curtain to get some supplies.
'He grabbed me,' she says. 'He started kissing me… I told him to get away from me. If I hadn't yelled, he would have tried to rape me.'
Madina describes how she escaped from the building but Mr. Karagoz later went to her home.
'I didn't open the door because I was terrified,' she says, explaining that he threatened to have her sent back to Syria.
Scared of repercussions, Madina says she never went to the police and did not tell anyone else what had happened.
Mr. Karagoz, a retired bank worker, denies the allegations and has told the BBC that his organization has helped more than 37,000 people.
Over the years, his charity has gained widespread recognition and won a local newspaper award in 2020. It has been featured on national TV, and he says it has attracted support from national and international organizations. In March this year he changed its Turkish name to My Home-meal Association.
In all, three women, including Madina, told the BBC that Mr. Karagoz had sexually assaulted and harassed them. Seven other people, including two former employees of his charity, say they either witnessed or heard firsthand testimony of him committing acts of sexual abuse between 2016 and 2024.
These testimonies were not the first to surface against Mr. Karagoz. In 2019 and 2025 he was accused of sexual harassment and assault, but on both occasions prosecutors decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
However, after the BBC investigation, it is understood two other women came forward to report Mr. Karagoz, resulting in his charges of sexual abuse. He is now in jail awaiting trial.
One victim expressed relief at his arrest and hopes it inspires other women to speak out against exploitation.
