Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Turkey in the past two weeks in protest at the arrest and jailing of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. He’s seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest political rivals and since his arrest he’s been voted as the opposition party’s presidential candidate in the next elections. He’s been accused of corruption, which he strongly denies and his supporters see his detainment as a political move by the Government. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss whether we’re witnessing the end of democracy in Turkey.
Guests:
Mark Lowen, BBC Correspondent and former BBC Istanbul Correspondent
Dr Ziya Meral, Lecturer in International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS
Firdevs Robinson, Turkish journalist and broadcaster
Monica Marks, Assistant Professor Middle East Politics , NYU in Abu Dhabi
Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham
Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Vadon
(Image: Demonstration organised by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) against the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, in Istanbul, Turkey - 29 March 2025. Credit: Tolga Bozoglu/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
