Turkish police pepper spray protesters in Istanbul
Police officers seen pepper spraying protesters as people gathered in support of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu near the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2025. (Credit: Reuters)
The recent arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem ?mamo?lu and main rival of President Erdo?an has sparked the largest protests in Turkey in a decade, with over 1,100 people detained in demonstrations across the country.
The Istanbul mayor and 106 other municipal officials and politicians were detained on March 19 for what Human Rights Watch called a politically motivated move to stifle lawful political activities.
"By forcing Imamoglu out of politics, the government has crossed the line that separates Turkey’s competitive authoritarian regime from a full, Russian-style autocracy in which the president handpicks his opponents and elections are purely for show," Gonul Tol, Director of Turkish Program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.
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Police officers use pepper spray on demonstrators during a protest on the day Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2025. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
A spokesperson from Turkey's embassy in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital that Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,133 people have been detained since the arrest of the mayor, and around 123 police officers have been injured since the start of protests. Yerlikaya also alleged that weapons were seized during the protests and the individuals detained were found to have ties to different terrorist organizations and prior criminal records.
Some experts believe the move was orchestrated by Erdo?an to sideline the opposition, silence political dissent and increase his own power.
"This is a dark time for democracy in Turkey, with such a blatantly lawless move to weaponize the justice system to cancel the democratic process," Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Some experts believe the move was orchestrated by Erdo?an to sideline the opposition, silence political dissent and increase his own power. (Turkish presidency/Reuters)
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In an address to celebrate the festival of Nowruz on Friday, Erdo?an said Turkey was not a country that was found on the street and will not submit to street terrorism.
"We will not allow public order to be damaged. We will not give in to vandalism or street terrorism," Erdo?an said, according to Reuters.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) held a symbolic primary vote over the weekend and nominated ?mamo?lu to be the party’s candidate for president to face Erdo?an in the 2028 elections.
Despite the increased repression and threats to their own safety and security, the Turkish opposition does not yet seem to be backing down.
"We, as the main opposition party that emerged as the first party in the last local elections in March 2024, will stand firm and resist any kind of oppression by the government," ?lhan Uzgel, CHP Deputy Chairman for Foreign Policy, told Fox News Digital.
Uzgel said Erdo?an seems frightened of losing power, and is urging opposition supporters to take to the streets to defend democracy, challenge lawlessness, and challenge the Erdo?an government's abuse of power.
"We are happy to see that our people take to the streets despite the occasional use of force by the riot police, and demonstrate peacefully, which is a constitutional right," he added.
Imamoglu, who is presently jailed and is awaiting trial on corruption charges, was viewed as the most serious challenger to the decades-long rule of Erdo?an. His detention will likely keep him out of the political opposition for the foreseeable future, dealing a huge blow to Turkey’s pro-democracy movement.
Tol of the Middle East Institute said Erdo?an is banking on people’s anger dissipating over time and that the mass protests will eventually die down. The election is not scheduled until 2028, and people, Erdo?an hopes, will most likely forget and move on.
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People gather outside the City Hall to protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Francisco Seco/AP Photo)
The danger, according to Tol, is that street protests in the Middle East and elsewhere tend to go in many different directions, and there is no telling how long the public anger over the arrests will last and how much more popular support the movement will gain.
?mamo?lu, member of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. In both elections, he defeated Erdo?an-backed opponents.
Turkey’s problems come at a time when President Trump is reportedly considering lifting sanctions on the NATO member and resuming the sale of F-35 fighter jets following a recent phone call with Erdo?an.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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