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Turkey

Turkey

August 1, 2026

Ankara 11:34 pm

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A demonstrator carries a CHP flag during a protest in Izmir, Turkey, on May 24, 2026.

Explainer

What’s behind Turkey’s latest wave of arrests against opposition mayors?

The operations come as Ozgur Ozel’s newly formed party gains momentum.

Latest News

Turkey, Pakistan among 14 countries backing Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi Red Sea alliance

A Saudi navy ship is pictured docked at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah before the departure of a team to Port Sudan to help with the evacuation efforts of people fleeing Sudan, on April 29, 2023.

Turkey ready to participate in post-UNIFIL force in Lebanon, Erdogan tells Aoun

Erdogan and Aoun

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Syrian students sits in a UNICEF school during a visit by European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva and Italy's Foreign Minister Emma Bonino at the Al Zaatri refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria June 25, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: EDUCATION CONFLICT SOCIETY) - RTX1106A

New Syrian Institution Helps US Deliver Humanitarian Aid

A senior US aid official tasked with coordinating humanitarian assistance to Syria says he is “all for” prolonging the Syria war if it leads to a “democratic Syria.”

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reviews students of the Police Academy upon his arrival to their graduation ceremony in Ankara June 24, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTX10YXL

Can Erdogan Keep PKK Peace Process on Track?

The Kurdistan Workers Party attempted to showcase its force in Sirnak’s Cizre province on Sunday, June 23, creating concern that the PKK is violating the negotiation parameters.

Empty and disused Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL Group) containers are seen at Malta Freeport in the Port of Marsaxlokk outside Valletta February 10, 2012. The IRISL ships and containers are key parts in an international cat-and-mouse game: Iran's attempt to evade the trade sanctions tightening around it. Washington and European capitals want to stop or slow Iran's nuclear programme. They believe that IRISL, which moves nearly a third of Iran's exports and imports and is central to the coun

Iraq: Iran’s Economic Gateway To the World

Amid strict international sanctions, Iranian exports are increasingly flowing into Iraqi markets as one of its few remaining lifelines in the region and around the world.

Palestinian youths take part during a rally in support of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (seen on banner), at the Seaport of Gaza City June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10RQC

Erdogan’s Proposed Gaza Visit Reignites Controversy

Despite opposition from Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Gaza is set to take place by July 5.

An Albanian man touches a banner with a picture of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a rally in support of Erdogan in Tirana June 19, 2013. REUTERS/Arben Celi (ALBANIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10TTO

Erdogan Doesn't Have Luxury of Suspending PKK Negotiations

Although the Gezi protests led to debate on the position of the Kurds between the government and the protesters, they helped the government to refocus on the peace process with the Kurds.

Protesters wear masks depicting victims of the violent anti-government protests in Turkey in Istanbul's Taksim Square June 26, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX111ZC

Turkey Protest Violence All Too Familiar to Kurds

Media coverage of police brutality in the Istanbul protests presents an opportunity for the country to address the violence Kurds have faced for decades.

A Palestinian youth draped in a Turkish flag looks at the Gaza Seaport during a rally in support of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Gaza City June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10RQ8

Will Erdogan Go to Gaza?

Despite Hamas' statement that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Gaza on July 5, questions remain as to whether the trip will actually take place.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (front, L) hugs Hamas politician Khalil al-Hayya during the funeral for seven of al-Hayya's relatives in Gaza May 21, 2007. Israel launched more strikes against Gaza militants on Sunday, killing nine Palestinians in two aerial assaults, including one that struck the home of al-Hayya, security officials said. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA) - RTR1PXEC

Exclusive: Hamas Official Discusses Decline of Iranian Support

Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya discusses the party’s loss of Iranian support and the possibility of its truce with Israel unravelling.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Erdogan Confronts Himself Over Protests

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is more challenged by policies of his own making than his political opposition.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Erdogan's Carrot-and-Stick Approach To Protests a Loser

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan should seek inclusive policies, not engage in witch hunts.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu addresses his supporters during a demonstration in Ankara March 27, 2012. Thousands of Turkish opposition supporters demonstrated in the capital Ankara on Tuesday against a government attempt to railroad a new education bill through parliament which secular parties say is designed to promote Islamic schooling. The government wants to overturn a 1997 law imposed with the backing of the military which led to a sharp decrease in

Turkey’s Opposition Faces Leadership Crisis After Protests

The winds of hope raised by Kemal Dervis’ entry into politics in 2002 and those raised by the Gezi Park protesters looked alike from the surface, and they may share the same fate in the end.

Anti-government protesters, who call themselves ''anti-capitalist Muslims'', shout slogans during a demonstration in Istanbul June 23, 2013. The European Union is on the verge of scrapping a new round of membership talks with Turkey, a move that would further undermine Ankara's already slim hopes of joining the bloc and damage its relations with Brussels. Germany, the EU's biggest economic power, is blocking efforts to revive Turkey's EU membership bid, partly because of its handling of anti-government prot

Turkish Protests Provide Electroshock to EU Ties

The Gezi Park protest brought Turkey-EU ties to the brink of collapse, but at the same time had the impact of “electroshock therapy” on Turkey’s stalled accession process.