Skip to main content

Turkey’s main opposition changes focus from 'secularism' to 'justice'

Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s impressive march from Ankara to Istanbul shows one thing: The CHP is no longer the “state party” that it was throughout the 20th century.
Supporters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) hold placards as they walk with the party's leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (not pictured) during the second day of a protest, dubbed a "justice march", against the detention of CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoglu, in Saray near Ankara, Turkey June 16, 2017. Placards read "Justice". REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTS17CJ8

As I was writing these lines, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was marching on the highway somewhere near Hendek, a town 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Istanbul. He had been on the road for two weeks, walking some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) a day and resting at a hotel or in a bus at night. He had at least 10 more days to go. And neither him, nor the thousands of people who joined him for this remarkable march, held any party flag or partisan slogan. They marched only with one simple motto: Justice.

This is the “Justice March” Kilicdaroglu began June 15 in reaction to a court decision that sentenced one of the CHP’s deputies, Enis Berberoglu, to 25 years in prison. Berberoglu’s alleged crime was to help publish the photos of weapons that Turkish intelligence trucks were shipping into Syria back in 2014. This, in the eyes of the court, made him a criminal who “exposed state secrets” and carried out “espionage.” In the free world, however, people would probably just say he did something called “journalism.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.