ISTANBUL—In the early hours of Friday, security forces detained two journalists in Istanbul during a series of raids aimed at media workers covering the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade. These arrests are part of broader actions targeting political activists, trade unionists, and journalists. The detained journalists, Elif Bayburt from Etkin News Agency and Nisa Suda Demirel of the Evrensel news website, represent a continuing crackdown on media freedom in the country.
Evrensel released a statement regarding one of its reporters, saying, “Our reporter, Nisa Sude Demirel, was taken into custody at her home at about 6 a.m. This follows her coverage of the protests at Istanbul City Hall and university boycotts. She is currently held at the Istanbul Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Branch office.” Detentions such as these followed unrest spurred by the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition mayor of Istanbul and a critical challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu’s imprisonment, based on corruption charges many believe are politically driven, has led to widespread demonstrations. The government contends that the judiciary functions independently, unaffected by political influence.
International bodies like Reporters Without Borders have criticized the ongoing arrests of journalists. Erol Onderoglu, their Turkey representative, stated emphatically, “The detention of journalists seems endless.” Meanwhile, Turkey’s Journalists’ Union has called for unhindered media operations and urged an end to what they describe as illegal detentions. This week’s events have seen 11 journalists initially imprisoned pending trial, only to be released later but still facing charges associated with participating in illegal demonstrations.
In response to the media coverage of protests, Turkey’s broadcasting regulator recently imposed a ten-day broadcasting ban on Sozcu TV and penalized other opposition channels through fines and program suspensions. Additionally, a BBC reporter was deported on Thursday, reflecting the growing pressures on international media. These developments coincide with a surge in legal proceedings across Turkey, as the government’s response to the protests intensifies.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that nearly 1,900 individuals have been detained since March 19. This has led to families anxiously gathering outside courthouses, awaiting news on their detained relatives who can be held by police for as long as four days. According to Savas Ozbek, a parent of one detained protester, “Generation Z feels that something is wrong, which explains their engagement in these protests.” Meanwhile, Zeynep Ulger, an attendee outside a courthouse, emphasized they are advocating for a more democratic country but have met with police resistance and detentions instead.
Defense lawyer Arif Anil Ozturk, representing many of the arrested protestors, described the ongoing legal processes as entirely unlawful. He asserted, “There is neither evidence nor any substantial proof. Young protesters are being unjustifiably treated as terrorists.” Though the Republican People’s Party (CHP), led by Imamoglu, concluded organized nightly protests in Istanbul on Tuesday, spontaneous and largely peaceful demonstrations continue throughout the nation. These protests, however, face heavy police suppression, employing tear gas, water cannons, and plastic bullets, especially in major cities like Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
On Friday morning, authorities detained nine students at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, following claims that student gatherings posed a security threat. CHP representatives criticized the police’s aggressive approach, particularly towards students peacefully assembled on the university campus. On the same day, the Istanbul Bar Association reported the arrest of several lawyers amid protests, noting prolonged delays when trying to access their detained clients. Further political repressions were evident with the detention of Imamoglu’s lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, on charges of money laundering, which Imamoglu dismissed on social media as groundless.
Reactions to these developments have been notable. Prominent Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, across European media platforms, lamented what he sees as Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian governance, unprecedented in its strong-arm tactics. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after talks with Turkey’s foreign minister, voiced serious concerns about Turkey’s trajectory. He noted while returning from Suriname, “The situation is worrisome, and the on-ground instability rings alarming bells for us.” Imamoglu continues to face serious charges linked to his mayoral leadership, impacting his political aspirations in Turkey’s upcoming electoral landscape.