On April 11, 2025, he appeared in court at the Silivri Open Penal Institution for a trial related to allegations that he threatened Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The case involves charges that could result in a prison sentence of up to seven years and four months, as well as a political ban. İmamoğlu … Read more
I woke to hear that new detainments had been made this early morning. Meanwhile, Mahir Polat’s ordeal continues. His health condition is a significant concern, as he has serious heart issues, including multiple stents and recent angioplasty procedures while in prison. Despite his health risks, including hypertension and potential for heart attack or stroke, his … Read more
During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, describing him as “a tough guy” and “very smart.” Trump expressed confidence in his ability to resolve any disputes between Israel and Turkey, emphasizing the need for both sides to be “reasonable” in their dealings. He … Read more
So what happened on the April 2 boycott? Here are the developments related to the April 2 boycott organized by the Turkish opposition: Call for Boycott: – The Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Özgür Özel, called for a nationwide boycott on April 2 in response to the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and student … Read more
As we are in the middle of the long Eid break, let me list what I have observed during the protests. In the meantime, 301 student demonstrators are still imprisoned, and there is a massive one-day economic boycott against (2 April) of all kinds of shopping. Despite mainstream media censorship, the protests could be … Read more
We have a more extended official vacation- 9 days! The government probably extended the Eid vacation to calm down protests… The CHP rally in Maltepe, Istanbul, held on March 29, 2025, drew a massive crowd. According to CHP leader Özgür Özel, approximately 2.2 million people attended the event, although this figure could not be independently … Read more
Here is the link: 2025 Turkish protests Turkish edition’s top post is also about the protests: 2025 Türkiye’de hükûmet karşıtı protestolar Here is also the 2025 timeline of anti-government protests in Turkey In the meantime, a BBC journalist was deported from Türkiye. Mark Lowen, a BBC News correspondent, was detained by Turkish authorities in Istanbul … Read more
CHP started a boycott campaign against several brands, and they are officially listed here on the boycott page. It is reasonable to mobilize masses as such, but every brand boycott requires strategic planning. I am not sure about some of the brands. Let’s see how it goes. The CHP’s boycott campaign in Turkey is a … Read more
Photojournalists of international organizations are arrested so that we cannot see what happens. But can they prevent reporting? Back to citizen journalism 101. In the meantime, I observed more motivation among the university students for further protests. Several journalists were detained during the protests in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. … Read more
I wanted to talk about Mahir Polat. I did not meet him, but I always heard positive feedback about him. -I cannot say the same for many others in Imamoğlu’s inner circle- A modest person who worked hard to contribute to Istanbul’s cultural heritage. He was arrested along with Imamoğlu. In the last elections, he … Read more
As of March 23, 2025, the Turkish government has appointed trustees to 13 municipalities since the March 31, 2024 local elections. Below is the updated list, including the latest appointment in Şişli Municipality: Updated List of Trustee Appointments Hakkari Municipality (June 3, 2024): DEM Party Mayor Mehmet Sıddık Akış was replaced by Hakkari Governor Ali … Read more
Well, Imamoğlu’s imprisonment seems like Turkish authorities symbolically annulled the right to vote and to be elected. Most Istanbulites elected him for the third time- he increased his votes every time-, and here is what we have now. Secondly, a strong potential rival of the current president is eliminated by imprisoning him. I observe a … Read more
Here is a round-up of what happened until noon on March 22 in the latest wave of crackdown in Türkiye: I have translated the allegations against İmamoğlu and his responses in this PDF file: Allegations against Ekrem İmamoğlu and İBB Turkey spends record $12bn defending lira after Erdoğan rival’s arrests. In the Istanbul Bar … Read more
There are some signs of protests I haven’t seen since the Gezi Protests. However, it is too early to say whether these will continue. In any case, we still need a VPN to continue our daily internet surfing. The police are not too brutal at the moment against the student movement we haven’t seen … Read more
I have a morning class starting at 9 am, and I didn’t check the news, but my students informed me about the developments during the break. Because of the internet throttling, it isn’t easy to access many social platforms. Police closed some of the main routes, my students had difficulty arriving at the campus, and … Read more