Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

August 2, 2026

Ankara 2:44 am

20°C

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

Protesters clash with riot police during a protest against Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government's foreign policy on Syria, in Istanbul May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZP3Y

Turkey's Sunni Identity Test

The Turkish government’s sectarian impulse, resurging whenever foreign policy fails, reverberates in domestic politics and fans social unrest.

A protester holds a Turkish flag as riot police order them to evacuate Gezi Park in central Istanbul June 15, 2013. Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul overnight on Sunday, erecting barricades and starting bonfires, after riot police firing teargas and water cannon stormed a park at the centre of two weeks of anti-government unrest. Lines of police backed by armoured vehicles sealed off Taksim Square in the centre of the city as officers raided the adjoining Gezi Park late on Saturday, where

Erdogan and the Battle For the Memory of Gezi Park

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's depiction of Taksim Square protesters as looters and marauders is an attempt to spin the facts on the ground into an "official" history of Gezi Park uprising.

A member of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) works on her laptop in northern Iraq May 14, 2013. The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on Tuesday, and were greeted by comrades from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a symbolic step towards ending a three-decades-old insurgency. The 13 men and women, carrying guns and with rucksacks on their backs, arrived in the area of Heror, near Metina mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border, a Reuters witnes

Turkey-Kurdish Peace Process on Hold?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government says the talks are on track, but the Kurdish side is warning of a break in the process.

A supporter wears a mask showing Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a rally of ruling AK party in Istanbul June 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of Erdogan's supporters massed at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas to break up pockets of anti-government protesters in the city center several kilometers away. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10PV2

Paranoid Nationalism Changes Hands in Turkey

If Turkey's present crisis deepens, the Justice and Development Party may become even more paranoid, angry and authoritarian.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan makes his address during a meeting with the 'wise people' commission in Istanbul April 4, 2013. Erdogan chaired an inaugural meeting of the 'wise people' commission, who will be consulted on a peace process with Kurdish militants. The commission is made up of academics, journalists and performing artists, and established by the government to promote the peace process nationwide. REUTERS/Metin Pala/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXY8EB

Iraqi Kurds Join Pro-Erdogan Protests

Fearing setbacks in Kurdish-Turkish relations, Iraqi Kurds have taken to the streets in support of Erdogan, whom many regard as being the most tolerant of Turkey’s leaders toward the Kurdish population.

A Kurdish fighter from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) holds his weapon as he takes position atop a building with a YPG flag in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, June 7, 2013. Kurdish fighters from the YPG joined the Free Syrian Army to fight against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX10USX

Syriac Christians, Kurds Boost Cooperation in Syria

A shared desire to remain neutral in Syria links the political parties of the Assyrian Christian and Kurdish minorities despite government encouragement of sectarian security branches.

Shoes are laid out on the ground in memory of protesters killed and injured in recent clashes near Taksim Square in Istanbul June 19, 2013. Turkey's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday he had no objection to silent anti-government protests inspired by a symbolic "Standing Man" vigil, comments that could help draw the sting out of three weeks of often violent demonstrations. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10TMN

The Return of 'Mujahid' in Turkey

Is the return of Erdogan’s "mujahid" identity foreshadowing a further religious turn by the Justice and Development Party?

A Palestinian vendor prepares water pipes at his shop on the beach of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip May 31, 2009. Sunday marks World No Tobacco Day. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA ANNIVERSARY HEALTH) - RTR2443D

Hamas Police Crack Down On Beach Cafe 'Vices'

Policemen are regularly intruding into beach cafes in Gaza, targeting a range of "vices" from women smoking argileh to boys and girls walking together on the beach.

Hezbollah Keen on Hamas Alliance Despite Criticism

Hezbollah seeks to repair ties with Hamas which have been strained over Syria.

Syrian detainees, who were arrested over participation in the protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime,are seen walking at the Damascus police leadership building to sign their release papers July 11, 2012. The Syrian government said it had released a total of 275 prisoners, who had not been involved in homicide. A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen at right. REUTERS/Khaled al- Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTR34TZJ

Inside Syria's Gulag

An exclusive firsthand account from a Syrian who was detained in a state prison in Aleppo.

A protester reacts as riot police order them to evacuate Gezi Park in central Istanbul June 15, 2013. Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul overnight on Sunday, erecting barricades and starting bonfires, after riot police firing teargas and water cannon stormed a park at the centre of two weeks of anti-government unrest. Lines of police backed by armoured vehicles sealed off Taksim Square in the centre of the city as officers raided the adjoining Gezi Park late on Saturday, where protesters ha

Turkey's Military and the Protests In Gezi Park

The Turkish government is haunted by coup fears in its handling of the massive protests.

People stand during a silent protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 18, 2013. A Turkish man has staged an eight-hour silent vigil on Istanbul's Taksim Square, scene of violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters in recent weeks, inspiring hundreds of others to follow his lead. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10RSA

Taksim: Turkey’s Tiananmen?

Can Turkey still be a role model of democracy for Arab and Islamic countries?