Getting to the endgame:
- Turkey's opposition presidential candidate faces 2,352 years behind bars
- Head prosecutor of Istanbul province applies for the closure of the main opposition party
In Syria, a new generation has been shaped by competing political projects as much as by war. On the eve of the first election in 50 years, their exclusion risks reinforcing the very divides the vote is meant to bridge.
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
As Turkey crosses the final rubicon to single-party dictatorship, it’s notable that there is no outside pressure at all for the government to back down. Notable, if not surprising.
Barricades go up inside the CHP's Istanbul HQ!
Riot police have been deployed to the Istanbul headquarters of Turkey's main opposition and roads around the building blocked as party members rally there against a court's suspension of its local leadership in what they see as the 'judiciary being used as a political weapon'.
CHP mayors of Adana, Antalya, and Adıyaman detained by police. I guess they're saving the Bs for tomorrow.
The X account of Istanbul’s Mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu has been withheld in Turkey right now. İmamoğlu seen as Erdogan's strongest rival for presidential elections, has been detained since March 23.
Disgraceful.
Two of Turkey’s top journalists Timur Soykan and Murat Ağırel have been detained this morning on what their papers say are false charges based on their work www.bbc.com/turkce/artic...
In other reporting there were indications he was detained for taking part in protests in Sweden and for social media posts while he was there
CHP leader Özel announces that starting at the end of Ramadan tomorrow, they will be going door to door collecting signatures throughout Turkey demanding freedom for Ekrem İmamoğlu and early elections.
After a break in Turkish mass prostest, huge daytime demonstration held now at Maltepe in Istanbul. People there say at least hundreds of thousands of people came, ordinary folks as well as CHP. Other parties, such as pro-Kurdish DEM had also said they'd participate www.sozcu.com.tr/sarachane-ru...
Since protests broke out in Turkey, “police have arrested nearly 2,000 people, among them many students. With the system overwhelmed, family & friends are often left in the dark about where they're being held or when they'll get out,” @afpnews.bsky.social reports. uk.news.yahoo.com/no-news-fami...
Swedish journalist Joakim Madin was arrested and sent to Maltepe Prison!..
Turkey is no longer a hybrid regime. It is a fully authoritarian state racing in the direction of Egypt, Tunisia & Russia.
Last week, Erdogan locked up his top presidential opponent. Today he jailed his lawyer, too.
When opponents' lawyers are jailed, political rights are gone. 🧵
İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was detained.
Broadcasting speeches from the leader of Turkey's main opposition party now punishable with a broadcasting ban
Honored to share my new piece on İmamoğlu’s arrest and what it means for thinking about authoritarianism in Turkey and globally, in the best English-language news outlet covering the country, @turkeyrecap.bsky.social:
www.turkeyrecap.com/p/op-ed-the-...
The Deputy Mayor of Şişli, İstanbul, joins the Mayor in prison on terror charges
Erdoğan threatening everyone who's not happy with the system
Thousands in #İstanbul gather for a final protest in Saraçhane for the 7th night in a row. Since last week, people have been taking to the streets to protest against Erdogan.
CHP announced this evening would be the last protest in Saraçhane and they would be moving them to different locations.
As a boy, Berkay coined the phrase “Her şey çok güzel olacak” (everything will be beautiful) when he met İmamoğlu on the campaign trail in 2019. It’s still the slogan most closely associated with the mayor. Today Berkay, now a 22yo student, was sent to jail for protesting
Domino effect meme starting "EspressoLab Boycott" and ending "Turkish Democracy Restored"
Fingers crossed
CHP has called for protests outside Istanbul City Hall today for the last evening. Party leader Özgür Özel says protests will continue "in another form" somehow. I'm not aware of any other way than the boycott. Not sure CHP really has a plan on how to proceed from here. www.bbc.com/turkce/artic...
Further evidence that the repression Ankara has deployed to erase equal citizenship for Kurds in the southeast—like deposing elected mayors, making party leaders political prisoners & using military force against protesters—is now being expanded to stop Turkey’s top opposition party.
The story from Erdoğan to Trump is “my opponent is very corrupt so he is going to prison, and a few college students are making noise but my police makes them behave.” Of course he likes the message.
In the history of Twitter/X, it’s never been this easy for Erdogan to censor accounts at this rate and speed.
It’s as if he has direct backdoor access to do whatever he wants.
Monday, early morning hours in Istanbul: Police raids apartment buildings and detains citizens. That's because they "unlawfully" participated in the protests. Definitely an escalation!
bsky.app/profile/birg...
These things have happened in Turkey before but it’s been a long time since they happened at this scale
What’s being done to İmamoğlu is very much a descendant of what was done to Demirtaş. The message then and now is if you start to become popular beyond your assigned demographic, you will be crushed.
The CHP at the time not only failed to support him, they were complicit in the plot against him.
İmamoğlu was not imprisoned on terror charges but only because he was already sent down for "corruption".
The AKP can still choose to shut down its biggest rival or appoint a puppet leadership for it (!)
