Authorities in Istanbul have imposed a temporary ban on public gatherings in several central districts as tensions rise over a controversial court decision targeting Turkey’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Police also blockaded the party’s provincial headquarters, where supporters gathered Monday to protest the appointment of an interim trustee chair.
Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the CHP’s provincial leadership over alleged irregularities in its 2023 congress.
The court named Gürsel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker linked to the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics denounced the ruling as a politically motivated attempt to weaken the opposition.
In response, CHP leaders urged supporters to assemble outside the party’s Istanbul headquarters ahead of Tekin’s arrival.
The call prompted the governor’s office to declare a three-day ban on public gatherings late Sunday. Police swiftly surrounded the building, erected barricades, and restricted entry.
Despite the restrictions, supporters began rallying outside overnight, openly defying the ban.
Meanwhile, the internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp were restricted across Turkey following the CHP’s mobilization call.
The unrest comes amid a broader crackdown on opposition-led municipalities.
Earlier this year, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—a key CHP figure and seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest rival—was detained on corruption charges, sparking the largest protests in Turkey in more than a decade.
The CHP rejects the accusations as politically driven, while Erdoğan’s government insists that the judiciary acts independently.
Looking ahead, political uncertainty could deepen further. Later this month, a court in Ankara will issue a ruling on a separate challenge to the CHP’s 2023 national congress, which brought Özgür Özel to power as party leader.
A ruling against the congress could restore former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a figure associated with the party’s past divisions.