The recent wave of mass protests across Turkey underscores a growing crisis in the country’s democratic institutions. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government finds itself facing public outrage following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. This development is not simply an isolated legal matter ~ it highlights a deepening pattern of state actions that many Turks see as undermining democratic norms and silencing political dissent. Mr Imamoglu, widely viewed as Mr Erdogan’s most formidable political rival, was detained on charges of corruption and allegedly aiding terrorist groups.

His arrest comes at a politically sensitive time, as he was poised to be confirmed as his party’s candidate for the next presidential election. The timing alone has raised serious questions about whether Turkey’s judicial processes are truly independent, as the government insists, or increasingly influenced by political motives. The response........

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