Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on September 7, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Turkey's CHP urges protests in Istanbul after police barricade its office, amid a legal crackdown targeting the opposition party.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -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; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
The CHP called on citizens and residents of Istanbul to gather for protests against the police barricades around its headquarters.
The CHP has faced accusations of irregularities and has been subjected to a legal crackdown aimed at eliminating electoral threats against President Erdogan.
Ozgur Ozel urged all democrats and CHP members to protect Ataturk's home in Istanbul and to demonstrate against the court's decision and police measures.
The CHP has organized a demonstration for Sunday at 2000 GMT and another one on Monday at 0700 GMT.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is among the hundreds of CHP members targeted in the ongoing legal crackdown.
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