Скачать или смотреть How the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu plunged Erdogan's Turkey into turmoil

Turkey has been in chaos for six days.

Politicians have been arrested, journalists jailed, and protesters pelted with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Demonstrations have erupted across multiple cities as people rally against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor and leading rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, despite the Turkish leader’s stern warning that street protests will not be tolerated.

Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested in a dawn raid on his residence on Wednesday over alleged corruption and terror links, escalating a crackdown on opposition figures and dissenting voices. Several other prominent figures, including two district mayors, have also been detained.

Many see the arrest as a politically motivated attempt to remove a popular opposition figure and key challenger to Erdoğan in the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.

Others view it as a direct attack on democracy. Let us explain.