Hundreds Arrested as Turkish Protesters Defy Crackdown

ISTANBUL, 26 March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – Nearly 1,500 individuals, including a photographer from Agence France-Presse (AFP), have been detained as tens of thousands of demonstrators continued their protests in the Turkish capital on Tuesday. The demonstrations erupted following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The protests, the largest Turkey has witnessed in over a decade, commenced last week after Imamoglu was taken into custody on corruption charges. Opposition supporters view his arrest as a blatant violation of the rule of law and an attempt to suppress political dissent.

Authorities have responded with a sweeping crackdown that has raised concerns among human rights groups. On Tuesday, an Istanbul court remanded seven journalists in custody for covering the protests, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul.

"His imprisonment is unacceptable. This is why I am urging immediate intervention to secure the swift release of our journalist," AFP's CEO and chairman, Fabrice Fries, stated in a letter addressed to the Turkish presidency.

The court charged Akgul, 35, and others with "participating in illegal rallies and marches", though Fries emphasised that Akgul was present solely in his capacity as a journalist documenting the events.

‘No Concessions’

Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the arrests as "scandalous". The organisation’s Turkey representative, Erol Onderoglu, warned that the situation in the country was "very serious".

As of Tuesday, 1,418 individuals had been detained for taking part in "unauthorised demonstrations", according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. He warned that authorities would make "no concessions" to those "terrorising the streets".

Despite a protest ban, vast crowds have continued to rally daily since Imamoglu’s arrest on 19 March, with demonstrations spreading nationwide and leading to nightly clashes with security forces.

Facing the most significant unrest since the 2013 Gezi Park protests, Erdogan remained resolute, dismissing the demonstrations as "street terror".

"Those who spread terror in the streets and seek to set this country ablaze have no escape. Their path leads to a dead end," declared Erdogan, who has led Turkey, a NATO member, for a quarter of a century.

Public Resistance Continues

Even as Erdogan spoke, thousands of students marched through Istanbul’s Sisli district, where the mayor, Resul Emrah Sahan, was imprisoned on similar charges as Imamoglu.

Chanting "government, resign" and waving banners, they were met with a heavy police presence. From apartments above, residents banged pots and pans in a show of solidarity.

Many demonstrators covered their faces with scarves or masks to avoid identification.

"We cannot express ourselves freely," said a student named Nisa, who nevertheless joined the protest "to defend democracy".

Meanwhile, thousands gathered for the seventh consecutive night in a protest organised by Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Sarachane, home to Istanbul City Hall, which Imamoglu has led since 2019.

Anticipating a prolonged struggle, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called for a mass rally on Saturday in Istanbul, describing it as "the largest open-air referendum in history" aimed at pressing for early elections.

"We have had enough, and we demand early elections," Ozel told the crowd.

‘A Dark Time for Democracy’

With riot police deploying water cannons, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against protesters, the Council of Europe condemned what it termed "disproportionate" use of force. Human Rights Watch described the situation as "a dark time for democracy in Turkey".

The United Nations also expressed alarm over Turkey’s mass detentions and "unlawful blanket ban on protests", urging authorities to investigate any excessive use of force.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised "concerns" about the crackdown during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Despite the repression, Ozel remained defiant, telling the Sarachane protesters: "Arrests will not diminish our numbers—there will only be more of us."

He further claimed that the scale of the crackdown had filled Istanbul’s prisons to capacity.