Turkey Detains Journalists Amid Protests Over Ekrem İmamoğlu’s Arrest, Escalating Press Freedom Concerns

Istanbul, March 24, 2025, 3:30 PM PDT – Turkish authorities arrested at least eight journalists and photojournalists on Monday, intensifying a crackdown as protests erupt nationwide over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Disk-Basin-Is media union condemned the arrests as an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth,” demanding their immediate release in a statement on X at 9:00 AM local time, per Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Crackdown on Journalists

The union’s X post, which read, “You cannot hide the truth by silencing journalists!” highlighted the detentions as part of a broader assault on media under Erdoğan’s rule. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported in 2024 that 77 journalists have been convicted of “insulting the president” since Erdoğan took office in 2014, with five killed and 85% of national media now government-controlled, per rsf.org. Posts on X, like @RSF_Turkey’s, echoed the union’s call, while @TurkeyGov remained silent on the arrests.

Turkey’s press freedom ranking, 154th out of 180 in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index, reflects a decade-long decline, with over 200 journalists imprisoned since the 2016 coup attempt, per BBC News. The latest detentions follow a pattern of targeting media covering opposition figures, as seen in the 2020 arrests of journalists reporting on Kurdish issues, per The Guardian.

İmamoğlu’s Arrest and Protests

İmamoğlu, a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a leading opposition figure, was detained on Wednesday on charges of corruption, including running a criminal organization, bribery, extortion, illegal data recording, and bid-rigging—allegations he denies, per CNN. A court formally arrested him on Sunday, rejecting additional terror-related charges but ordering his detention pending trial, as reported by Euronews. The Interior Ministry suspended him from his mayoral duties as a “temporary measure,” per Anadolu Agency.

The arrest, widely viewed as politically motivated to sideline İmamoğlu ahead of the 2028 presidential election, has sparked Turkey’s largest protests in over a decade, with thousands rallying in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, per The New York Times. On Sunday, İmamoğlu was endorsed as the CHP’s presidential candidate by 1.7 million party members and 13 million non-members, underscoring his popularity, per Al Jazeera. Posts on X, like @IstanbulProtests, showed crowds waving Turkish flags, while @ErdoğanSupport defended the arrest as “lawful.”

Political Context and Erdoğan’s Strategy

İmamoğlu’s 2019 election as Istanbul mayor ended 25 years of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) control over the city of 16 million, a significant blow to the president, per en.wikipedia.org. After the AKP challenged the results, alleging irregularities, a rerun saw İmamoğlu win by a wider margin—800,000 votes compared to 14,000—solidifying his status as a formidable opponent, per BBC News. His re-election in 2024 further strengthened the CHP’s position, per The Guardian.

Government officials deny political motives, insisting the judiciary is independent, but critics on X, like @TurkeyDemocracy, argue the arrest aims to derail İmamoğlu’s 2028 presidential bid. Erdoğan, barred from running again under current constitutional limits, may seek to amend the constitution or call early elections, per a 2025 Carnegie Endowment analysis on Turkish politics.

Implications for Democracy

The detentions and protests deepen concerns over Turkey’s democratic backsliding, with Freedom House rating the country “Not Free” in 2025, citing media suppression and judicial interference, per freedomhouse.org. The arrest of İmamoğlu, coupled with the annulment of his degree by Istanbul University, risks further polarizing the nation, as noted on X by @TurkeyOpposition.