Protesters try to march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters during a protest against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, March 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN. Crackdowns Continue as Turkey Endures Another Turbulent YearHamdi Firat BuyukSarajevoBIRNDecember 26, 202507:53 Hamdi Firat BuyukSarajevoBIRNDecember 26, 202507:53From mass protests and fragile peace talks to pressure on opposition parties and the jailing of journalists, Turkey had another politically troubled year.
Imamoglu protests
Riot police use teargas to disperse demonstrators trying to march to Taksim Square from the Istanbul Municipality headquarters at a protest against the detention of mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, March 2025. Photo: EPA/ERDEM SAHIN
After the arrest of Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, protests erupted across Turkey, most intensely in Istanbul. Police intervened violently as tens of thousands demanded the mayor’s release. Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival, remains in prison, deepening concerns about the country’s democratic backsliding.
Call for peace
Members of the Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, DEM, read a call from imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan in Istanbul, February 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN
The jailed founder of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, called on fellow militants to lay down their arms as part of peace talks with the Turkish government. In response, PKK militants held a symbolic weapon-burning ceremony, signalling a willingness to pursue negotiations and end the four-decades-long armed conflict. Talks continue despite major obstacles, including the lack of an amnesty law and low public support within both Turkish and Kurdish communities.
Crackdown on opposition
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, Ozgur Ozel, at the party’s extraordinary congress in Ankara, September 2025. Photo: EPA/NECATI SAVAS
Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, CHP, held three congresses in this politically turbulent year, amid legal challenges from government-aligned courts. Authorities alleged irregularities and manipulation in party voting processes, accusations which the CHP denies, claiming they are intended to undermine the party.
Kurdish hopes
Men in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey, speak in a park about the ongoing peace talks. Photo: Sertac Kayar
As negotiations between Ankara and the PKK continued, Kurdish citizens remained uncertain about what any agreement would mean for their daily lives. Hopes centre on mother-tongue education, equal citizenship and an end to political repression. The future of the talks remains unclear, however.
Fighter jets
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attend the signing of a bilateral agreement on the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey, at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, October 2025. Photo: EPA/NECATI SAVAS
After Turkey was removed from the F-35 program and its failure to buy F-16 jets from the United States, Turkey has turned to Europe to modernise its aging air fleet, purchasing 40 fourth-generation Eurofighter jets. Military analysts warn that the purchase is only a temporary solution to Turkey’s long-term air-power challenges.
Plane crash
At a funeral in Ankara, soldiers carry the coffins of three soldiers killed when a Turkish military aircraft crashed in Georgia, November 2025. Photo: EPA/NECATI SAVAS
An aircraft flying from Azerbaijan went down on November 11, claiming the lives of all 20 personnel onboard. Turkey declared national mourning, while the tragedy raised questions about the condition and maintenance of its military fleet.
Sporting success
Cedi Osman (L) and Alperen Sengun of Turkey during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 match between Turkey and Germany in Riga, Latvia, September 2025. Photo: EPA/TOMS KALNINS
Turkey’s national basketball team, known as the “12 Giant Men,” reached the EuroBasket 2025 final, securing their second silver medal in the tournament’s history. The Turkish team lost to Germany in a dramatic and closely contested match. The achievement briefly united a polarized nation in a rare moment of shared national pride.
Jailed journalist
Fatih Altayli. Photo: Screenshot from Fatih Altayli’s YouTube Channel
Veteran journalist Fatih Altayli was jailed for four years and two months for “threatening the President”, based on remarks he made on his YouTube channel on November 26. Rights groups, media organisations and opposition parties condemned the verdict. His imprisonment underscores an intensifying crackdown on press freedom and the internet in Turkey.
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