{"id":210488,"date":"2025-09-08T15:17:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T15:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210488\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T15:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T15:17:09","slug":"istanbul-imposes-temporary-ban-on-public-gatherings-amid-chp-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210488\/","title":{"rendered":"Istanbul imposes temporary ban on public gatherings amid CHP rally"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISTANBUL (AP) \u2014 Police used pepper spray inside the Istanbul<\/a> offices of Turkey\u2019s main opposition party on Monday, to disperse dozens of party officials and clear the way for a court-appointed interim chairman to enter the building amid fierce protests over his controversial appointment, party officials said.<\/p>\n

Riot police also scuffled with supporters of the Republican People\u2019s Party, or CHP, who assembled at locations close to the headquarters in defiance of a temporary ban on public gatherings and a police blockade of its local branch. <\/p>\n

The police raid came amid an intensifying crackdown on the CHP, including municipalities run by the party over alleged corruption, which has led to a series of arrests, including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu<\/a>. The deposed mayor is widely regarded as the leading challenger<\/a> to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s<\/a> two-decade rule, and his arrest in March sparked the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade.<\/p>\n

Last week, an Istanbul court suspended<\/a> the CHP\u2019s provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party\u2019s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party\u2019s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as a politically motivated intervention aimed at weakening the party<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In response, CHP leadership called on supporters to gather at the party\u2019s Istanbul headquarters ahead of Tekin\u2019s scheduled arrival on Monday. The call prompted the governor\u2019s office to announce a three-day ban on public gatherings late Sunday, as police surrounded the building, erected barricades and restricted access.<\/p>\n

Despite the restrictions, supporters began rallying outside the headquarters on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the internet watchdog NetBlocks said several social media platforms, including X, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp, were restricted in Turkey following the CHP\u2019s call for rallies.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Tekin arrived at the headquarters under heavy police protection. His arrival was met with loud protests from gathered supporters and party members angered that he accepted the position following the court ruling that the party had denounced as unjust. <\/p>\n

Speaking to journalists outside the building, Tekin stated his intention was not to escalate tensions but to help resolve the party\u2019s legal challenges. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe will do everything in our power to put an end to the legal troubles our party has been subjected to in the court corridors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Police later used pepper spray inside the building and pushed back party officials opposed to his arrival, senior CHP legislator Gokhan Gunaydin and other officials told the opposition-aligned Halk TV television. Witnesses saw dozens of people exiting the building, visibly affected by the pepper gas.<\/p>\n

Tekin was later seen entering the building, where he was filmed sitting in a room reserved for journalists and taking a phone call.<\/p>\n

In a symbolic rejection of Tekin\u2019s court-appointed leadership, the CHP announced that it had officially closed its Istanbul provincial headquarters and reassigned another building as its new operational base.<\/p>\n

The CHP has rejected the corruption allegations, saying they are politically motivated and part of a broader effort to undermine the party\u2019s growing influence. Erdogan\u2019s government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and denies any political interference.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are against the government (which is) stealing our right to vote and arresting the people we voted for,\u201d said Tulay Ozbay, who took part in Monday\u2019s demonstrations. \u201cWe reject this injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later this month, a separate court in Ankara is expected to rule on a similar case targeting the CHP\u2019s 2023 main congress, which elected Ozgur Ozel as party leader. A ruling against the party could potentially reinstate its former leader, Kemal K\u0131l\u0131cdaroglu<\/a>, a figure whose tenure drew widespread criticism.<\/p>\n

__<\/p>\n

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ISTANBUL (AP) \u2014 Police used pepper spray inside the Istanbul offices of Turkey\u2019s main opposition party on Monday,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":210489,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[17628,356,32304,57,32303,115462,2936,50,32307,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-210488","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-corruption","9":"tag-courts","10":"tag-ekrem-imamoglu","11":"tag-general-news","12":"tag-istanbul","13":"tag-kemal-kilicdaroglu","14":"tag-law-enforcement","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-recep-tayyip-erdogan","17":"tag-world","18":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}