Turkey's main opposition CHP called on citizens and residents of Istanbul to gather on Sunday, after police set up barricades in areas around its Istanbul headquarters in what the party leader called a "siege".
Supporters of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stand near the Istanbul provincial office, as police cars are parked outside the office, after a recent court ruling that ousted the CHP's Istanbul provincial leadership in Istanbul, Turkey, September 7, 2025. Reuters/Umit Bekta
Turkey's main opposition CHP called on citizens and residents of Istanbul to gather on Sunday, after police set up barricades in areas around its Istanbul headquarters in what the party leader called a "siege".
The Republican People's Party (CHP) has been the target of a months-long legal crackdown, which has swept up hundreds of its members - including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival - whose March arrest set off Turkey's largest street protests in a decade.
The CHP has denied all accusations against it and said the legal measures are politicised attempts at eliminating electoral threats against Erdogan and weakening the opposition.
The latest moves against the CHP began on Tuesday when a court ordered the removal of the party's Istanbul provincial head over alleged irregularities in a 2023 congress.
Speaking at a CHP event in Istanbul, party chairman Ozgur Ozel called on Turks to gather and demonstrate against the court decision and the crackdown against his party, as well as the police measures to set up barricades around the headquarters and restrict public access to it.
"From here, I invite all democrats and CHP members whom my words and voice reach to, to protect the home of Ataturk in Istanbul," he said, referring to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's founder.
The CHP's youth wing also called on all Istanbul residents to gather at the party's provincial headquarters at 2000 GMT. The party will also organise another demonstration on Monday at 0700 GMT, it said.
Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu
Five people were killed and another severely wounded when a boat carrying migrants hit a Turkish coast guard vessel off northwest Turkey on Sunday, a local governor's office said, adding a search operation was underway for a missing person.
Erdogan’s ruling party couldn’t beat them at the polls, so now it’s using the courts. The purge of Istanbul’s CHP leadership shows how far Turkey’s president will go to weaken his opponents and cement his grip on power.
Turkish authorities have banned a concert of Enrico Macias, a French singer of Algerian-Jewish origin, after calls for protest over his pro-Israeli stance.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.