The 2025–2026 Turkish protests are an ongoing series of demonstrations across Turkey, Northern Cyprus and the Turkish diaspora that began on 19 March 2025 following the detention and arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 100 other opposition members, officials businessmen and protesters by Turkish authorities. İmamoğlu, a member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) who had twice defeated allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul mayoral elections, faced charges of corruption and alleged links to the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK); Istanbul University separately revoked his degree, a move the could disqualify him from future presidential runs. Opposition figures characterized the arrests as politicly motivated attempt to remove Erdogan's leading rival ahead of the next presidential election, while the government maintained that the judiciary acted independently. the demonstrators, supported by the CHP and a range of other parties and civil society groups have been described as Turkey's largest since the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
Turkish authorities responded with mass detention, bans on public gatherings, curfew style travel restrictions into and out of Istanbul, and deployment of riot police, tear gas, and water cannons against demonstrators in multiple cities. Thousands of people have been detained since the protests began, and dozens of journalists, Turkish and foreign, have faced arrest, prosecution, and expulsion, while covering the unrest, drawing condemnation from press freedom organizations. social media platforms including X faced Turkish court orders to block hundreds of accounts linked to protest organizing, which X initially resisted before complying, prompting accusations of a double standard from free speech advocates.
The unrest coincided with a sharp economic shock; the Turkish lira fell to record lows against the US dollar in the days following İmamoğlu's arrest, the Istanbul Stock Exchange's benchmark index dropped sharply and the Turkish Central Bank sold tens of billions of dollars in reserves to stabilize the currency, prompting revised inflation forecast. The protests draw international attention, with Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and foreign governments expressing concerns over democratic backsliding in Turkey, though the European Union and other Western partners have been reluctant to take concrete action given Turkey's strategic importance.
Despite his continued imprisonment, İmamoğlu was mentioned by CHP as its presidential candidate in March 2025. Large scale rallies, organized by CHP leaders Özgür Özel, have continued on regular weekly basis in Istanbul and rotating cities across Turkey into 2026, alongside continuing arrests, prosecutions of detained protestors and journalists, and sporadic unrest tied to related events such as May Day, Pride marches, and the anniversary of the Gezi Park protests.
Background
İmamoğlu's political rise Ekrem İmamoğlu, a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), had served as Mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He won the mayoralty against candidates aligned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan allies in both the 2019 and 2024 municipal elections, the latter of which saw the CHP take control of most ofTurkey's major cities. These results were widely interpreted as the most serious institutional challenge yet to Erdogan's political dominance, and İmamoğlu had been considered the CHP's likely candidate for the 2028 Turkish presidential election even before his formal nomination.
Escalating legal pressure In the months before his detention, İmamoğlu had intensified his public criticism of the Erdogan administration, prompting a series of legal actions against him, and figures in his administration. This pattern of prosecutions targeting opposition-held municipalities had already drawn comparison to earlier cases against other CHP and DEM Party mayors, feeding a broader narrative, advanced by opposition figures and international observers alike, of democratic backsliding under Erdoğan's government.
Economic backdrop The detention took place against the backdrop of an ongoing Turkish economic crisis, with high inflation and a depreciating lira already straining public confidence in the government's economic management. This pre existing fragility shaped the scale of the market reaction once İmamoğlu was detained.
Comparison to the Gezi Park protests Commentators and participants frequently linked the scale of the demonstrations to the Gezi Park protests of 2013, Turkey's largest wave of civil unrest in recent decades with some protestors tactics including banging pots and pans from balconies explicitly echoing that precedent.
Protests
Initial protests (19–20 March 2025) Within hours of İmamoğlu's detention on 19 March, demonstrators gathered near Istanbul police headquarters, chanting anti-government slogans and framing the arrest as a strike against democratic institutions.Emin Caliskan, Mehmet (19 March 2025). "Protesters say Istanbul mayor detention is a blow to democracy". Reuters. Tens of thousands gathered outside the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality building, where CHP leader Özgür Özel urged supporters to continue backing İmamoğlu."Protests in Turkey as Imamoglu, key Erdogan rival, is arrested". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 20 March 2025. The Istanbul Governor's Office responded by banning public gatherings and deploying riot police and water cannon around the police facility; clashes were reported, including police use of pepper spray near Istanbul University."Ekrem Imamoglu: Protests erupt in Turkey after Erdogan rival arrested". BBC. 19 March 2025.
Demonstrations quickly spread beyond Istanbul. In Ankara, CHP lawmakers protested outside party headquarters and briefly disrupted proceedings in the Grand National Assembly, while Middle East Technical University students marched before being blocked by police."Turkish police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, as government crackdown escalates". The Independent. 19 March 2025. Protests were also reported in Adana, Trabzon and İzmir the same day.Robles, Carlos (20 March 2025). "Protests erupt across Turkey after opposition leader İmamoğlu's arrest". BNO News. Students and staff at thirteen universities held demonstrations or marches; police intervened with pepper spray at several campuses, including Mersin, Galatasaray, Dokuz Eylül, Ankara and Kocaeli, and at METU police used plastic bullets and tear gas against a student march."Action at 13 universities in 5 provinces". Evrensel. 20 March 2025."METU students protesting detentions were intervened with plastic bullets". Evrensel. 20 March 2025. Demonstrations of support also took place among the Turkish diaspora, including in DublinO'Callaghan, Gavin (23 March 2025). "Ireland's Turkish community protest İmamoğlu arrest". RTÉ News. and in Berlin and Stuttgart."Almanya'da, Türkiye'deki demokrasi mücadelesine destek büyüyor". Yeni Posta. 20 March 2025.
Escalation and clashes (21–23 March 2025) Protests intensified on 22 March, described by several outlets as the peak of the initial wave, with Istanbul's Saraçhane, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy and Şişli districts becoming focal points; heavy police presence kept protesters away from Taksim Square itself."Clashes Erupt in Istanbul Amid Widespread Protests". Financial Times. 22 March 2025. Demonstrators carried banners and chanted slogans, and some banged pots and pans from balconies in a callback to the 2013 Gezi Park protests."Clashes Erupt in Istanbul Amid Widespread Protests". Financial Times. 22 March 2025. Riot police, armoured vehicles and TOMA water cannon trucks were deployed; clashes broke out near the Aqueduct of Valens, and video circulated from İzmir showing police striking and detaining protesters.Halktv (22 March 2025). İzmir video report (Turkish). YouTube. In Ankara, police blocked a CHP-led march toward parliament,"CHP Representatives march from TBMM to the First Parliament Police". Gazete Oksijen. 22 March 2025. while in İzmir thousands marched to Alsancak in defiance of a five-day demonstration ban."Thousands of people in İzmir marched to Alsancak". Evrensel. 22 March 2025.
Turkey's Interior Ministry said 343 people were detained overnight, and described some demonstrators' conduct as "provocative and violent"; opposition figures and rights groups countered that most of those detained were peaceful protesters."343 Detained Amid Widespread Protests in Turkey". CNN. 22 March 2025. In Ankara's Güvenpark, 41 protesters were detained in what police called an anti-terror operation; seven of 22 detained students were strip-searched, drawing criticism."41 detained during 'İmamoğlu' protests in Ankara". Cumhuriyet. 22 March 2025. The Istanbul Governor's Office also restricted travel into and out of the province for anyone judged likely to join the demonstrations."Basın Açıklaması (2025-23)". T.C. İstanbul Valiliği. 22 March 2025.
RTÜK chairman Ebubekir Şahin warned broadcasters they risked suspension if they continued airing footage seen as inciting street action; Sözcü TV and Halk TV cut live coverage of the rallies."RTÜK uyardı: Eylem yayınları kesildi". OdaTV. 23 March 2025. Millions instead watched livestreams from İmamoğlu's own social media accounts and the CHP, reportedly peaking at four million simultaneous viewers."Türkiye bunu da gördü...". 10haber.net. 23 March 2025.
Arrest of İmamoğlu and mass rallies (23 March – 6 April 2025) İmamoğlu was formally arrested on 23 March pending trial on corruption charges; terrorism-related allegations were separately dropped."Turkish court jails Istanbul mayor pending trial". Reuters. 23 March 2025."Turkish court orders key Erdogan rival jailed pending trial on corruption charges". AP News. 23 March 2025. The same evening, the CHP confirmed İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate following its primary.CHP statement via X, 23 March 2025. Istanbul's municipal council elected CHP member Nuri Aslan as acting mayor, and Özel visited İmamoğlu in Marmara Prison."Turkey's opposition elects interim Istanbul mayor after Imamoglu's jailing". Reuters. 26 March 2025.Wilks, Andrew (26 March 2025). "Turkey's opposition leader visits jailed Erdogan challenger". AP News.
A court ordered the pre-trial detention of seven journalists covering the protests, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgül, on charges of failing to disperse during a demonstration; Reporters Without Borders called the ruling "scandalous.""Turquie: un juge ordonne l'incarcération de sept journalistes". Libération. 25 March 2025.Michaelson, Ruth (25 March 2025). "Eight journalists covering anti-government protests held in Turkey". The Guardian. BBC correspondent Mark Lowen was detained and then deported.Gozzi, Laura (27 March 2025). "BBC's Mark Lowen deported from Turkey after covering protests". BBC. Swedish journalist Joakim Medin was arrested on arrival in Turkey on 28 March and jailed pending trial on charges of insulting the president and alleged terrorist-organisation membership, tied to a 2023 protest in Stockholm; press freedom groups in Sweden condemned the arrest."Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey on terrorism, insult charges". Reuters. 28 March 2025."Swedish Journalist's Arrest in Turkey Sparks Global Outcry". Sweden Herald. 28 March 2025.