 "eople shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. Image- AP")
An Istanbul court ordered seven journalists remanded in custody on Tuesday for reporting on mass demonstrations triggered by the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief political rival. The detentions bring the total number arrested in the crackdown to over 1,400.
Among those jailed was AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who was seen being led away by authorities. The court had initially granted conditional release to Akgul and six other journalists earlier Tuesday, reversing its decision hours later. All were among ten media workers detained in Monday’s dawn raids.
Press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests as “scandalous.”
Protests have swept Turkey since March 19, when popular opposition Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained. Nightly clashes between demonstrators and riot police deploying water cannons, pepper spray and rubber bullets have erupted nationwide.
International bodies have criticized the response, with the Council of Europe denouncing the “disproportionate” police tactics. Human Rights Watch warned Turkey is experiencing a “dark time for democracy.”
But shortly afterwards, prosecutors revised their decision and the court decided to remand them all in custody on grounds of taking part in an “illegal” protest, his lawyer and the MLSA rights group said.
“This is the first time that a clearly-identified journalist has, in the exercise of his duties, been formally arrested on the basis of this law against gatherings and demonstrations,” RSF’s Erol Onderoglu told AFP following the decision about Akgul, the first to be announced.
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‘Deeply shocking’
The Council of Europe, Europe’s leading human rights body, voiced concern over the “disproportionate use of force by the police” and urged Turkey to respect citizens’ right to protest freely.
London-based Amnesty International also called for an immediate end to police violence, stating that its review of footage from the crackdown was “deeply shocking.”
Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, condemned the legal action against Imamoglu, calling it “a dark time for democracy in Turkiye” and accusing authorities of “weaponising the justice system to cancel the democratic process.”
At a rally on Monday, opposition leader and CHP head Özgür Özel announced a boycott of 10 companies and organizations, including pro-government TV channels that avoided airing protest footage and a cafe chain known for its ties to the government.
Imamoglu’s legal troubles come just a day after he was overwhelmingly chosen as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, with analysts suggesting the move against him was politically motivated.
His jailing has drawn sharp criticism from European capitals. Berlin called the decision “totally unacceptable,” with similar concerns raised by Paris, Athens, and Brussels.
Imamoglu has denounced the case as a political “execution without trial” but vowed to continue his fight, delivering messages through his lawyers.
With inputs from agencies