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The turmoil in Turkey began after the imprisonment of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, in March 2025. Residents of Istanbul have been demonstrating daily, decrying the actions of President Erdoğan.

These events have their roots in 2017. At the time, I posted “The Decline and Fall of the Turkish Republic,” describing some major changes in Turkey’s political order.

The following excerpts from the above article:

“On April 16, 2017, a Referendum to amend the Turkish Constitution passed, which gave President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan new powers in governing the country. His victory was slim as the ‘Yes’ vote was around 51.3%, and the ‘No’ vote, 48.7%. The three largest cities – Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir – voted against the changes.

“On April 20, 2017, the Arabic online journal Al-Awan, published an article lamenting the ‘Decline and Fall of the Turkish Republic.’ Here are excerpts that summarize the views of the author.

“‘Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken the final steps to make himself an absolute dictator of the Turkish Republic, thus ending an important chapter in the political history of Turkey and the Middle East. People used to admire the Turkish political experiment. Moderate Islamists considered Turkey as a model for coexistence between Islam and democracy. Arab Nationalists pointed to Turkey as an example of the compatibility between nationalism and democracy. Liberals pointed to the existence of fair elections, freedom of expression, and a free market economy in Turkey.’

“Gradually, Erdoğan followed a different type of governance than what was enshrined in the Constitution. Prior to the Referendum, he assumed total power not accorded to him by the Constitution. The Prime Minister, according to the law, was the one who presided over the affairs of the government. Erdoğan degraded the role of the prime minister to act as his mouthpiece.

“Erdoğan began by battling the media, the courts, and the military, one by one. Then came the attempted Coup of July 15, 2016. Right away, he arrested more than 70,000 officers, judges, journalists, and university professors. He did all that without any proof of their involvement in the coup attempt.

“The result of the Referendum was disappointing to him. He won by a slim majority; irregularities took place in the process, as claimed by the opposition parties and civil institutions. He ignored the signs of decline that surfaced in the economy. Inevitably, the Erdoğan’s victory would lead to more unrest and divisions between Turks and Kurds, Sunnis and Shi’ites, Secularists and Islamists. Certainly, it’s not a great outcome!”

Eight years later, the political scene in Turkey is experiencing grave and unprecedented turmoil.

Large sections of the Turkish population are taking to the streets to demonstrate their solidarity with the ousted and imprisoned Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul.

Here are excerpts from the news media, about the turmoil in Turkey:

“[Associated Press] Turkey makes 11 arrests over shopping-boycott campaign in support of Istanbul's imprisoned mayor.

“The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects in an investigation into ‘hatred and discrimination’ and ‘inciting hatred and hostility’ among the public, the Anadolu News Agency said.

“[ABC News] According to the independent ANKA News Agency, some 2,000 people have been detained since İmamoğlu was arrested on March 19, with 316 jailed pending trial.

“While in prison, İmamoğlu has been confirmed as the CHP’s presidential candidate. The next election is currently scheduled for 2028 but is likely to take place earlier. (CHP refers to the Peoples’ Republican Party)

“[Associated Press] The arrest and detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, last month has forced the cancellation of an international conference of Olympics officials and sports leaders due to take place in the city.”

Having quoted several sources about the events in Turkey, I must end by expressing my disappointment that several Western governments have remained silent about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's actions. The IOC deserves our gratitude for its brave and uncompromising stand!