It started with a singular arrest.

One arrest that has incited over a thousand more.

On March 19, incumbent Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested. This was no normal arrest: Imamoglu was the favored opposition candidate – from the CHP, or Republican People’s Party – for the upcoming 2028 presidential election. Now, before we talk about the circumstances of Imamoglu’s arrest, it’s important to note that while the election is set for 2028, early elections are highly probable… making Imamoglu’s arrest all the more impactful.

The arrest –

First and foremost, what are the charges against Imamoglu?

Imamoglu is accused of two charges: corruption and allegedly aiding an illegal political party. 

The former of the two charges, according to Türkiye’s state-run news organization Anadolu Agency (AA), alleges that Imamoglu and more than 100 others took part in racketeering (defined as engaging in illegal activities, like extortion, to turn a profit), systematic fraud, embezzlement, bid-rigging, and bribery, among a wide range of financial crimes.

The latter, however, can be construed as even more serious: it alleges that Imamoglu was involved with the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a political party that Türkiye has not only banned, but is also classified as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the United States. 

Established in 1978, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been working since 1984 for greater political and cultural freedoms with the overarching objective of establishing an independent state for the Kurdish people, a goal that many organizations over many of the aforementioned Middle Eastern countries have been working towards and one that has, historically, fueled a lot of conflicts and bloodshed. 

In fact, Türkiye is home to a large portion of the thirty million Kurdish people who live dispersed across the Middle East, overwhelmingly located in Türkiye, Iraq, Iran, and Syria – in fact, almost 20% of Türkiye’s population of 79 million is comprised of Kurdish people.

The two charges led to Imamoglu’s jailing without bail on Sunday, March 23, although the terrorism charges were later dropped. And as a result of the dropping of these charges, Imamoglu’s position as mayor of Istanbul, instead of being filled by a government appointee, will now be elected from Istanbul’s municipal council.

In addition to these charges, Imamoglu’s alma mater Istanbul University revoked his degree a day prior, on March 18, citing discrepancies in his diploma stemming from his transfer from a private university in Cyprus. This degree revokal makes Imamoglu, who had held a bachelor’s in business administration alongside a master’s in human resource management, ineligible to run for presidency.

The why? –

The next question, then, is why has Imamoglu’s arrest sparked such an outcry?

Simply put, Imamoglu is the one of the most prominent opposition politicians and, quite possibly, is the strongest contender against incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

In fact, Imamoglu is the only individual who has ever beaten the ruling party – Erdoğan’s party – in not one, not two, but three local elections. To put things into context, Erdoğan has been in power for over 20 years, serving as prime minister from 2003-2014 and in – at the time of his election –- the largely ceremonial role of president since 2014 (as he could not run for a fourth term). 

His time in both offices has been rife with what has been referred to as “growing authoritarianism”, including Erdoğan’s successful efforts to transform the office of president into the executive head of the nation (while abolishing the post of prime minister) in 2018 and the suppression of criticism of the government’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent years, however, Erdoğan and his party’s near monopolistic control over the government seem to be waning in the wake of a recession coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly – and poorly handled – earthquakes in 2023, as evidenced by the outcome of the 2023 election.

Imamoglu’s candidacy could potentially be perceived as the strongest in a growing trend of political backlash and shifts against Erdoğan and his party – and his arrest could possibly signal growing unrest and tension within the party and Erdoğan himself regarding the outcome of the upcoming election.

The backlash – 

Imamoglu’s arrest has, predictably, spurred a far-reaching backlash against Erdoğan and his party across Türkiye. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to (mostly peacefully) protest the arrest of Imamoglu, despite bans in many cities on street gatherings. 

While CHP leader Ozgur Ozel has called for protests to continue, Erdoğan has instead called for the CHP to stop “provoking” Turkish citizens and has referred to the protests as “street terror” and a “disruption of public order”.

Over the course of five days of protests, 1133 protestors have been detained for “illegal activities,” including individuals “affiliated with 12 different terrorist organizations,” and over 120 police officers have been injured, according to Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

Conclusion –

As Türkiye attempts to navigate through this period of turmoil, it’s important to remember the power of speech and media. The situation in Türkiye is undoubtedly a politically charged one, rife with biased information and propaganda, and politically charged situations – as we have seen over the course of history – are like a powder keg, one spark away from disaster. 

And so, as we, as outside observers across the world, examine the situation in Türkiye, it’s vital that we keep that in mind because of what’s at stake –

The lives of everyday, innocent individuals like you and me. 

Conflicts and highly inflammatory protests like the ones unfolding across Türkiye almost always occur – and are resolved – at the expense of these individuals. And the impact of our words, unchecked, will not be felt by those in power, nor will it be felt by those who incited this conflict or unrest in the first place.

Rather, it’ll be felt by the most vulnerable individuals, by the ones like you and me, by the ones who have no power, no cushion to fall back on.

So, as you leverage your freedom of speech to talk about the turmoil in Türkiye – and of the hardships and conflicts facing many other nations and people across the world, remember that you are talking about humans. About individuals with siblings and spouses and loved ones and friends. About people just like you and me trying to get through another day.

And most of all, use your speech to advocate for, not just your beliefs, but for these people. For what’s best for us, as a global community of everyday individuals.