Nationwide Protests Erupt After Detention of CHP Mayors: “A Blow to the National Will”

Opposition party denounces arrests in Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman as politically motivated crackdown on democracy

Protests broke out across three major Turkish cities on Monday following the early morning detention of opposition mayors from Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman. Citizens, opposition officials, and civil society leaders gathered to denounce what they called an assault on democracy and the popular will.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose members were arrested, led the demonstrations, declaring the police raids to be part of a coordinated political campaign against municipalities run by the opposition.

Antalya: “Our Crime Was Winning the Elections”

In Antalya, crowds assembled in front of the CHP provincial headquarters to protest the detentions. Senior party leaders, including CHP Parliamentary Group Leader Ali Mahir Başarır and Deputy Chair Suat Özçağdaş, were present alongside members of parliament and local mayors.

“Our crime was becoming the leading party and winning Antalya twice in a row. If that’s a crime, we will keep committing it,” said Başarır, emphasizing the need for a fair and impartial judiciary.

Özçağdaş added that over 20 million voters’ will had been violated. “The independence of the nation and its people is now under threat,” he warned.

Adana: “Adana Will Not Bow to This Plot”

Hundreds rallied outside Adana Metropolitan Municipality after the detention of Mayor Zeydan Karalar. CHP lawmakers, district mayors, and members of the leftist Labour Party joined the protest.

“This is not just a political operation—it’s a direct intervention against the people’s will,” said Deputy Chair Burhanettin Bulut, calling the arrest campaign “an assassination of reputation.”

CHP Group Deputy Chair Gökhan Günaydın noted that Karalar had been reelected with overwhelming support and that the ruling AKP failed to win even a single district in Adana. “The people erased you,” he said, denouncing the decade-old accusations against Karalar as part of a political vendetta.

CHP Women’s Branch Chair Asu Kaya declared: “The sun of Çukurova will pierce through the Palace’s darkness. Zeydan Karalar is the legitimate mayor of this people.”

Adiyaman: “This Is Not Just Our Will—It’s the Will of Earthquake Survivors”

In Adiyaman, where Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere was also detained, CHP officials and citizens staged a protest. Group Deputy Chair Murat Emir and Deputy Chair Ulaş Karasu joined local residents to condemn the arrests.

CHP’s Adiyaman Provincial Chair Engin Doğan said: “We were abandoned after the earthquake on February 6. But we did not collapse then, and we will not collapse now.” He described the detentions as “a hijacking of democratic will” and noted that Tutdere, an elected mayor and a working-class figure, had strong public support.

“The will being stolen here belongs not just to us, but to those who lost their daughters and sons in the quake, to Adiyaman’s youth, to its struggling mothers,” Doğan said.

Sit-In Protest in Front of Istanbul Police HQ

Later in the day, CHP members and supporters gathered outside the Istanbul Police Department on Vatan Avenue to hold a sit-in protest. They expressed support for all detained mayors, chanting slogans such as “President İmamoğlu” and “Government Resign.”

The crowd followed CHP leader Özgür Özel’s speech from his Amasya rally via livestream. When police called for the group to disperse, CHP deputies objected, accusing security forces of obstructing peaceful protest.

CHP’s Istanbul Chair: “250 Days of Injustice”

CHP Istanbul Chair Özgür Çelik gave a statement at the sit-in, drawing attention to ongoing detentions and what he described as degrading conditions.

“For 250 days, our colleagues have been held in unsanitary basement cells, denied proper food and basic needs,” said Çelik. “They are being punished without due process, without trial.”

He contrasted this with the expedited legal process in Antalya, where Mayor Muhittin Böcek was sent to court before even 24 hours in detention.

“Meanwhile in Istanbul, people are being held for the full 96-hour limit, in inhumane conditions, with no court appearance,” he added.

Çelik concluded by thanking the public for standing strong:
“For 250 days, this country has witnessed unprecedented injustice and oppression. Yet you’ve been here—in the streets, in front of police stations, in courtrooms—fighting for justice, freedom, and democracy. Thank you.”

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