Mass protest in Turkey: ‘Once a proud democracy, now sliding into dictatorship’

Read time: 6-7 minutes

In brief:

• Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a political rival to President Erdogan, was arrested on controversial charges, sparking mass protests across Turkey.
• Imamoglu claims the arrest is politically motivated, with the government also revoking Imamoglu's university degree, which would prevent him from running in the 2028 presidential election.
• Western governments, especially the US under Trump, have remained largely silent on what some are calling Turkey's slide toward authoritarianism.

What’s the story?

The next Presidential election in Turkey might still be three years away, but political tensions are high after a weekend of mass protests.

Tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations across the country to protest the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul and main political rival of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has held office in Turkey for 22 years, as both Prime Minister and President, and due to term limits can’t run for office again in 2028, unless he changes the constitution.

Rallies took place in at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, amounting to around two thirds of the country, according to News Agency AFP, and videos show some protestors being fired at with water cannons, pepper spray and rubber bullets.

Over 1,000 people have been detained during the protests, Turkey's interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya says.

Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday, just days before he was expected to announce his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election.

He was formally arrested on Sunday and charged with; "establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data and rigging a tender".

Imamoglu wasn’t the only one to be arrested, with over 100 journalists, politicians and businessmen also detained as part of an investigation.

He says the arrest is politically motivated and urged people to protest and take part in Sunday’s vote to decide the leader of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) - which they did.

Although Imamoglu was the only candidate, nearly 15 million people, who were not party members, are said to have voted for him on Sunday in symbolic ballot boxes around the country.

“15 million votes from people who may or may not have liked the man at the center of this, but definitely wanted to preserve the sense of free and fair elections in Turkey,” Emily says.

On the same day that he became the official presidential candidate, Imamoglu was suspended from his post as Mayor.

He has also had his degree revoked from Istanbul University due to alleged irregularities - something his lawyers have said they would appeal.

If his degree remains revoked, Imamoglu won’t be able to run as president in 2028 as the Turkish constitution requires presidents to have completed higher education to hold office.

“Türkiye woke up to a profound betrayal. The ongoing judicial process is far from being fair - it is an execution without trial. I invite our nation to fish for their rights,” Imamoglu said on X.

Is this the end of democracy in Turkey?

The accusations against Imamoglu are “groundless”, says Dr. Ilhan Uzgel, the deputy chair of Imamoglu’s CHP party.

Speaking to The News Agents, he explains that all local mayors are under regular inspection, with full financial transactions under surveillance, meaning it’s not possible to commit bribery, embezzlement or the like.

“The evidence in the indictment is so weak that he has been put into jail just for political motivation - everybody knows it in Turkey.”

He adds that Erdogan simply “wants a political scene without real strong rivals and opponents.”

“As soon as he realised that he is a threat to his leadership, he triggered a process and attacked our party.

“Let me tell you that if Mr. Imamoglu did not claim that he's going to be a candidate in the elections, he wouldn't have been targeted.”

Yet, if you follow government media, Uzgel says, you would be convinced he was involved deeply in terrorist activities.

In stripping him of his degree, the government has “delegitimised” Imamolgu, Jon Sopel says.

“It is so obvious what is going on here,” he adds.

“Turkey has moved into an authoritarian regime”, Uzgel admits.

“If you control 90% of media outlets, if you put any person who is critical of you into jail, if there is no separation of powers, if the judicial system is not independent, you can’t talk about the democratic system anymore. This is what we are having right now in Turkey,”

The Erdogan playbook could have been lifted straight from Putin, Emily says, noting the parallel is “staring at us in the face” - two men who moved between Prime Minister and President only to “throw out the democratic rule book and get rid of the democratic election process completely”.

“It looks like Turkey, once a proud democracy, is sliding into dictatorship,” Jon Sopel concludes.

How have Western countries responded?

In one word - silence.

“Trump has not had a word to say about the locking up of the main Turkish opposition leader, and frankly, Britain, not much better,” Jon says.

Uzgel says he was “surprised” that the British government didn't have anything to say about the “democratic backsliding” in Turkey.

He notes that whilst Germany’s Mr. Olaf Scholz criticised the decision of the courts; other Western governments have been “weaker” than he expected, adding “especially from Britain.”

“The British government did not have any criticism against these latest events.

“We want them to be more outspoken on these issues,” Uzgel says.

Trump’s presence in the White House “plays a part” of Western countries' silence, Uzgel believes.

But the President of the United States - which sees itself as “the core of democratic values” - remaining silent when an opposition leader in a democracy was locked up on unfounded charges would have been “unthinkable” in any other administration, Jon points out.

But this isn’t any President - it’s Donald Trump - who happened to have a call with Erdogan just three days before the decision to arrest his political rival.

“We all know that Mr. Trump admires strong leaders, so Erdogan is one of his favourite guys in the world.”

This is backed up by Emily, who said in a conversation with Steve Bannon some eight years ago he described Erdogan as Trump’s “role model”.

Trump’s closeness to such figures - some may call them ‘strong men’, others, ‘dictators’, has left the door wide open for them to abuse power.

Uzgel says; “The current US administration has more problems with its traditional allies, than with Russia or China.

“So it opens some way for Mr. Erdogan to attack the opposition forces in Turkey.”

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