Mass protests have erupted across Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, raising concerns over political repression and media control.
The Turkish government has imposed internet blackouts and detained journalists to curb dissent in what experts describe as a familiar strategy to suppress opposition.
In an interview with TVP World, Adam Michalski, a senior fellow at the Center for Eastern Studies, explained the government’s tactics.
“Whenever political crises break out in Turkey, the state has a tendency to want to control the media output and the type of messages that are being sent outside,” he said.
“We see nothing else but what we've always been seeing during mass protests—jailing journalists, controlling the media, blocking Facebook and X accounts.”
İmamoğlu’s arrest, Michalski argued, is a calculated political maneuver. “Until his jailing, he was Erdoğan’s biggest threat in the upcoming elections. He appealed not just to secular voters but also to conservatives, cutting into Erdoğan’s base.”
Watch the full interview above.
In an interview with TVP World, Adam Michalski, a senior fellow at the Center for Eastern Studies, explained the government’s tactics.
“Whenever political crises break out in Turkey, the state has a tendency to want to control the media output and the type of messages that are being sent outside,” he said.
“We see nothing else but what we've always been seeing during mass protests—jailing journalists, controlling the media, blocking Facebook and X accounts.”
İmamoğlu’s arrest, Michalski argued, is a calculated political maneuver. “Until his jailing, he was Erdoğan’s biggest threat in the upcoming elections. He appealed not just to secular voters but also to conservatives, cutting into Erdoğan’s base.”
Watch the full interview above.