“This is a coup,” said Yasar Aydin in BirGun (Turkey). Istanbul is suddenly under “undeclared martial law” after its mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested just days before he was to be named the opposition’s pick to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next election. Imamoglu’s university degree was also inexplicably revoked, disqualifying him from political office, and he is now being held on bogus charges of corruption and terrorism. About a hundred of his political allies were also arrested, in a clear attempt to dismantle the entire political opposition. Defying a ban on protests, hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured into the streets to support Imamoglu, but over 1,100 have been arrested so far, including journalists. Roads and metro stations have been shut down in central Istanbul and…
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The Week (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 4, 2025