It has been more than two decades since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became Turkey’s president. Over the years, Erdoğan’s regime has become increasingly authoritarian, eroding press freedoms and removing checks to his power. But in the last week mass protests have erupted. Pouring on to the streets of Istanbul, thousands have defied government warnings and a crackdown by riot police to ensure their voices are heard.
Today in Focus producer Sami Kent, who has written a book about the history of Turkey, talks to Michael Safi about the background to the protests. Erdoğan has jailed the one remaining political rival to his power – Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. The two men share a similar background and, explains Kent, were both seen as modernisers offering fresh views. Erdoğan was also mayor of Istanbul and was also jailed – coming out of prison a political hero. Now it seems history is repeating itself.
Foreign correspondent Ruth Michaelson has been on the streets talking to the demonstrators. Alongside supporters of Imamoğlu’s party, the CHP, she found many young people who grew up under Erdoğan and now want a dramatic change. To them, she says the protests are not about one man but “about our future in this country. It’s about democracy”. And for them, she says “there is a real sense of joy, of potential with these protests, and a real sense of momentum”.
