Turkey's main opposition calls for rallies after police barricade office

8/9/2025 7:18

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.