Asia-Pacific

Turkey : Dictatorship on the march

- 2:06 pm
Turks promise to topple dictator Erdogan

Turks promise to topple dictator Erdogan

Turkey is experiencing an unprecedented wave of repression as protests intensify following the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition mayor of Istanbul. According to an official report released on Monday by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, more than 1,130 people have been arrested since the protests began on March 19. A dozen journalists were arrested.

”1,133 suspects were arrested in connection with illegal activities carried out between March 19 and 23, 2025,” said the Interior Minister on the X social network. Faced with the scale of the mobilization, the Turkish authorities have temporarily banned all gatherings in the country’s three main cities.

Arrest of journalists and repression of the press

The crackdown also extended to the media. Ten journalists, including an Agence France-Presse photographer, were arrested on Monday at their homes in Istanbul and Izmir, according to the Turkish human rights association MLSA. The arrests come on the heels of fresh protests that have shaken the country.

“At least 10 journalists were arrested in dawn raids in Istanbul and Izmir on the morning of March 24, MLSA says. Over the past four days, more than 20 journalists have been beaten by police or activists.
Among those arrested by raids on their homes in Istanbul on the morning of March 24 were city photojournalist Malét Koelç, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality photojournalist Kurtulu C and AFP photojournalist Yasin Akgal. NOW correspondent Ali Onur Tosun, freelance journalist zeynep Kuray, journalist Hayri Tunç and Bakskhan Kam municipality photojournalist were also arrested as part of the operation. In Izmir, it was reported that photojournalist Murat Kocaba was arrested when his house was raided. Writer Bara znce was also arrested that morning.

Imamoglu nominated as candidate for 2028

Despite his imprisonment and suspension from mayoral duties, Ekrem Imamoglu has been officially nominated by his party as a candidate for the presidential election scheduled for 2028. The main opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he spent his first night in prison in Silivri, on the western outskirts of Istanbul.
International condemnation

Protests continue unabated, with new calls for demonstrations across the country on Monday evening for the sixth consecutive day. On the international scene, reactions are multiplying. French diplomats described Imamoglu’s arrest and imprisonment as “a serious attack on democracy”.

The European Union, through Guillaume Mercier, spokesman for the European Commission, urged Turkey to “respect democratic values”, recalling that “we want Turkey to remain anchored in Europe, but this requires a clear commitment to democratic standards and practices”.

Marc Cools, President of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, called for the mayor’s “immediate release”, saying that his detention was a “calculated maneuver” that undermined “the fairness of electoral processes”.

As tension mounts in the country, further demonstrations are expected in the coming days, despite the authorities’ ban on gatherings. Dictatorship is on the march in Turkey.

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