Protests In Turkey Flare Up Again

Despite Erdogan’s Ban, People Take to the Streets Once More

A Turkish court has formally ordered the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next elections, reports BBC.

İmamoğlu was detained on Wednesday, March 19, on charges of corruption. This occurred just days before the opposition was set to nominate him as a presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.

İmamoğlu denies the allegations against him, and protests over his arrest—one of the largest in Turkey in the past decade—have continued for four days.

"I will never surrender," he wrote on his social media accounts.

Erdogan condemned the protesters and accused the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) of attempting to "disturb the peace and fuel societal divisions."

On Saturday evening, even before the protests began, tear gas was dispersed in front of Istanbul’s municipal building. As the crowd of demonstrators grew, breathing became increasingly difficult. Security forces also fired shots into the air to disperse the demonstrators.

Despite Erdogan’s ban on demonstrations, people of all ages took to the streets in protest against the persecution of İmamoğlu, chanting: "Rights, law, justice!"

A young woman dressed in black with a mask covering her face told the BBC that she was protesting not for political reasons or because she supports the opposition but to defend democracy.

"I'm here for justice, I'm here for freedom. We are free people, and the Turkish people cannot tolerate this. It goes against our culture," she said.

Another woman, who brought her 11-year-old son to the protest, said she did so because she is worried about his future.

"Living in Turkey is getting harder every day. We can't control our own lives, we can't choose who we want, and there is no real justice here," she told the BBC.

Notably, none of the individuals the BBC spoke with felt safe enough to reveal their names or show their faces.

Many of those who took to the streets on Saturday night, despite the risk of arrest, told the BBC that they were fighting for their future.

In Ankara and Izmir, police used water cannons against protesters.

Demonstrations and Arrests

Since March 19, thousands of people across Turkey have taken to the streets, mostly in peaceful demonstrations. Authorities have attempted to suppress the protests by imposing a four-day ban on gatherings in Istanbul, later extending it to Ankara and Izmir.

Since Thursday, security forces have repeatedly clashed with protesters, using tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds.

According to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, 343 people were detained in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, and other cities overnight from Thursday to Friday, the third day of protests.

İmamoğlu is considered one of Erdogan’s most serious political opponents.

In 2024, the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), represented by İmamoğlu, won the municipal elections, defeating Erdogan's Justice and Development Party. This defeat was Erdogan's first in 20 years in power.

On Sunday, the CHP was expected to officially nominate İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate. However, on Wednesday, he was among more than 100 individuals, including other politicians, journalists, and businessmen, detained in a criminal investigation.

A day before his arrest, Istanbul University announced that it planned to annul his higher education diploma, citing alleged irregularities in how it was obtained.

Under Turkey’s constitution, presidential candidates must have a university degree, meaning the annulment of his diploma could jeopardize İmamoğlu's candidacy.

Erdogan has been in power in Turkey for the past 22 years—first as prime minister and, since 2014, as president.

However, due to term limits, he will not be able to run again in 2028 unless he changes the constitution.

Opposition figures claim that the persecution of İmamoğlu and other Erdogan critics is politically motivated. However, the Justice Ministry has criticized those linking the arrests to Erdogan, insisting on the independence of the country's judicial system.

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