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The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Turkish opposition leader criticises Starmer for ignoring arrest of Istanbul mayor
The leader of Turkey's largest opposition party has hit out at Keir Starmer, accusing the British prime minister of ignoring the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul and democratic backsliding in Turkey. Speaking to the Guardian, the leader of the left-leaning Republican People's party (CHP), Özgür Özel, said he was disappointed that Starmer had failed to speak up about attacks on a 'sister party'. Emphasising that his frustrations were with the Labour leadership and Starmer personally for failing to offer a full condemnation after leading CHP politician and Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained last month, Özel said 'they are making a historic mistake by seeing this as a domestic Turkish issue'. 'Starmer's attitude is one that he will not be able to explain in future,' he added. 'I would like to send the following message: 'After this is all over, we will remember the silence of our friends, not the loud voices and negative comments of our enemies'.' İmamoğlu was arrested and imprisoned last month on an array of corruption charges, triggering the largest anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade as hundreds of thousands took to the streets. The CHP have called for twice-weekly rallies across Turkey and an economic boycott of companies they say are close to president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, hoping to spur an anti-government movement that has so far seen almost 1500 people detained, including journalists and municipal politicians. While Turkish authorities insist the charges against the Istanbul mayor are not politicised, Özel labelled it 'a political trial,' adding that Erdoğan 'has his lawyers imprison those who disturb him and his team politically'. The Istanbul mayor, who had ruled a city of 16 million for six years, was widely seen as Erdoğan's main rival. He was named the CHP's candidate for president on the same day he was sent to a maximum security facility on the outskirts of Istanbul. Elections in Turkey are due in 2028, although an early vote is widely predicted, and the CHP has called for snap elections after officially nominating İmamoğlu as its candidate. Despite the mayor's abrupt detention, the CHP leader said the party has already mapped out plans for how İmamoğlu can campaign for the presidency even if he remains behind bars. Özel labelled the upcoming election a referendum on whether 'there will be autocracy or democracy in Turkey'. Özel sat for an interview shortly before hosting a rally in Istanbul, with another rally in Erdoğan's Black Sea heartland scheduled for this weekend. The Turkish president filed a criminal complaint against the opposition leader earlier this week, accusing him of insulting the president by saying that Turkey is 'governed by a junta that is afraid of elections'. The opposition leader dismissed the lawsuit as an attempt to cow him but said he had not ruled out that Erdoğan could still seek his arrest, 'if he can't cope politically like what happened with İmamoğlu'. While European leaders, including French president Emmanuel Macron and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, have spoken out about the mayor's arrest, the Turkish opposition leader said he also wanted to see Europe do more to pressure Ankara away from democratic backsliding. İmamoğlu's arrest came as European leaders have reportedly considered tapping Turkey, which boasts the second-largest army in Nato after the US, to provide peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. 'It is not right to make unprincipled negotiations with Erdoğan out of security concerns. Having Nato's first largest army in the hands of Trump and Nato's second largest army in the hands of an autocrat does not help anyone,' said Özel. In the weeks since the mayor's detention, there has been little comment from the British government or the Labour party regarding events in Turkey or the deportation of BBC reporter Mark Lowen, who covered the anti-government protests. Turkish authorities say they deported Lowen for working without accreditation. Stephen Doughty, minister for Europe, North America and overseas territories, told parliament in late March that Britain was 'closely monitoring the situation'. 'The UK expects Turkey to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes,' he added. Özel accused Starmer of prioritising issues of regional security such as events in Syria over the removal of democratic rights and the 'great injustices' taking place in Turkey. 'The loser of this process, not just in my eyes but in the eyes of democratic forces worldwide, is Erdoğan in Turkey and Starmer at the international level,' he said.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hundreds of thousands join protest in defence of Erdoğan rival jailed in Turkey
Hundreds of thousands of people attended the protest called by Özgur Özel, the head of the opposition Republican People's party (CHP), in a spot far from Istanbul's city centre. Özel claimed 2.2 million people attended the protest in defence of the mayor Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. He told the French daily Le Monde that Saturday rallies would become a weekly occurrence in cities across Turkey, while the CHP would hold similar gatherings in Istanbul each Wednesday
Jordan Times
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Demonstrations continue in Turkey despite protest bans
A Turkish flag with a picture of Turkish modern state's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is seen during a rally near Istanbul's city hall, on March 24, 2025 (AFP photo) ISTANBUL — Protesters continued taking to streets in Turkey's big cities as they marked a week since the start of street demonstrations after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as part of a graft and "terror" probe. Vast crowds have hit the street daily despite protest bans in Istanbul and other big cities and the arrests with 1,418 people held up to Tuesday according to official figures. Those detained include AFP journalist Yasin Akgul, who the Paris-based agency says was doing his job covering the protests. Republican People's (CHP) party leader Ozgur Ozel urged people to attend a mega rally on Saturday in the Istanbul district of Maltepe to demand early elections. Addressing the vast crowds gathered for a seventh straight night at Istanbul City Hall, Ozel said the crackdown would only strengthen the protest movement. Erdogan himself took aim at Ozel in a speech to his party, dismissing the CHP leader as "a politically bankrupt figure whose ambitions and fears have taken his mind captive". The CHP, he said, had created "too much material even for Brazilian soap operas" with corruption cases in Istanbul municipalities.
Arab News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Turkiye protesters defiant despite mass arrests
ISTANBUL: Protesters were defiant Wednesday despite a growing crackdown and nearly 1,500 arrests as they marked a week since the start of Turkiye's biggest street demonstrations against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2013. The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a graft and 'terror' probe, which his supporters denounced as a 'coup.' Vast crowds have hit the street daily, defying protest bans in Istanbul and other big cities and the arrests with 1,418 people held up to Tuesday according to official figures. Those detained include AFP journalist Yasin Akgul, who the Paris-based agency says was doing his job covering the protests. Erdogan, who has repeatedly denounced the protests as 'street terror,' stepped up his attacks on the opposition with a bitter tirade against the main opposition Republican People's (CHP) party of Imamoglu and its leader Ozgur Ozel. In a possible shift in tactics, Ozel said the CHP was not calling for another nightly protest Wednesday outside the Istanbul mayor office, instead urging people to attend a mega rally on Saturday. But it was far from certain that angry students, who have taken an increasingly prominent role in the protests and are far from all CHP supporters, would stay off the streets. Most nights, the protests have turned into running battles with riot police, whose crackdown has alarmed rights groups. But there were no such clashes on Tuesday, AFP correspondents said. The arrest of Akgul, who was remanded in custody on Tuesday along with six other journalists who were also arrested in dawn raids on Monday, was denounced by rights groups and Agence France — Presse, which said the 35-year-old's jailing was 'unacceptable' and demanded his immediate release. 'We are deeply concerned by reports of repression against protesters and journalists in Turkiye,' said a French foreign ministry source, asking not to be named, adding that Akgul 'was covering the protests professionally.' Addressing the vast crowds gathered for a seventh straight night at Istanbul City Hall, Ozel said the crackdown would only strengthen the protest movement. 'There is one thing that should know: our numbers won't decrease with the detentions and arrests, we will grow and grow and grow!' he vowed. The extent of the crackdown, he said, meant there was 'no room left in Istanbul's prisons.' Imamoglu also posted a defiant message targeting Erdogan on his social media channels, vowing to 'send him away at the ballot box,' accusing the Turkish leader of 'staying behind closed doors in Ankara not to govern Turkiye but to protect his seat.' 'We will be one... we will succeed,' he added. Erdogan himself took aim at Ozel in a speech to his party, dismissing the CHP leader as 'a politically bankrupt figure whose ambitions and fears have taken his mind captive.' The CHP, he claimed, had created 'too much material even for Brazilian soap operas' with corruption cases in Istanbul municipalities. Although the crackdown has not reduced the numbers, most students who joined a huge street rally on Tuesday had their faces covered, an AFP correspondent said. 'We want the government to resign, we want our democratic rights, we are fighting for a freer Turkiye right now,' a 20-year-old student who gave his name as Mali told AFP. 'We are not terrorists, we are students and the reason we are here is to exercise our democratic rights and to defend democracy,' he said. Like most protesters, his face was covered and he refused to give his surname for fear of reprisals. Another masked student who gave her name as Lydia, 25, urged more people to hit the streets. 'All Turkish people should take to the streets, they are hunting us like vermin (while) you are sitting at home. Come out, look after us! We are your students, we are your future,' she said, her anger evident. Unlike previous days, the CHP's Ozel said there would be no rally at City Hall on Wednesday, but called protesters to rally instead on Saturday in the Istanbul district of Maltepe to demand early elections.
Asharq Al-Awsat
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Türkiye Protesters Defiant Despite Mass Arrests
Protesters were defiant Wednesday despite a growing crackdown and nearly 1,500 arrests as they marked a week since the start of Türkiye's biggest street demonstrations since 2013. The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a graft and "terror" probe, which his supporters denounced as a "coup". Vast crowds have hit the street daily, defying protest bans in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and Izmir with the unrest spreading across the country. In a possible shift in tactics, the main opposition Republican People's (CHP) party said it was not calling for another nightly protest Wednesday outside the Istanbul mayor office for people to attend a mega rally on Saturday. But it was far from certain that angry students, who have taken an increasingly prominent role in the protests and are far from all CHP supporters, would stay off the streets. Most nights, the protests have turned into running battles with riot police, whose tough crackdown has alarmed rights groups. But there were no such clashes on Tuesday, AFP correspondents said. By Tuesday afternoon, police had detained 1,418 people, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Among them were 11 Turkish journalists covering the protests, seven of whom were remanded in custody on Tuesday, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul. The move was sharply denounced by rights groups and the Paris-based news agency, which said the 35-year-old's jailing was "unacceptable", demanding his immediate release. Imamoglu, 53, who himself was jailed on Sunday, is seen as the only politician capable of defeating Türkiye's longtime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the ballot box. Addressing the vast crowds gathered for a seventh straight night at Istanbul City Hall, opposition leader Ozgul Ozel said the crackdown would only strengthen the protest movement. "There is one thing that Mr. Tayyip (Erdogan) should know: our numbers won't decrease with the detentions and arrests, we will grow and grow and grow!" he vowed. The extent of the crackdown, he said, meant there was "no room left in Istanbul's prisons". His words came shortly after the interior minister warned there would be "no concessions" for those who "terrorize the streets". So far, the courts had jailed 172 for "provoking recent social events, being involved in violence, hiding their faces with masks and using sticks", the Anadolu state news agency. It said 35 others had been granted conditional release, and one was freed. Overnight, there were reports of dozens more arrests, according to posts on X by unions and youth movements, although there was no immediate update from the interior ministry. Erdogan himself has remained defiant a week into the protests, denouncing the rallies as "street terror". "Those who spread terror in the streets and want to set fire to this country have nowhere to go. The path they have taken is a dead end," said Erdogan, who has ruled the NATO member for a quarter of a century. Although the crackdown has not reduced the numbers, the vast majority of students who joined a huge street rally on Tuesday had their faces covered, an AFP correspondent said. "We want the government to resign, we want our democratic rights, we are fighting for a freer Türkiye right now," a 20-year-old student called Mali told AFP. "We are not terrorists, we are students and the reason we are here is to exercise our democratic rights and to defend democracy." Like most protesters, his face was covered and he refused to give his surname for fear of reprisals. Another masked student called Lydia, 25, urged more people to hit the streets, saying the protesters were being hunted down "like vermin". "All Turkish people should take to the streets, they are hunting us like vermin (while) you are sitting at home. Come out, look after us! We are your students, we are your future," she said, her anger evident. Unlike previous days, the CHP's Ozel said there would be no rally at City Hall on Wednesday, but called protesters to rally instead on Saturday in the Istanbul district of Maltepe to demand early elections.
