 were released after being briefly detained over slogans chanted during a Republican People’s Party (CHP) rally in #İstanbul’s Bakırköy district.){kind=link}
Ten members and executives of the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP), including party council member Arzum Yalçın, were released after being briefly detained over slogans chanted during a Republican People’s Party (CHP) rally in İstanbul’s Bakırköy district, according to party officials and local media.
The detentions came in the early hours of Friday following simultaneous raids on the homes of the suspects. They were taken into custody on accusations of “insulting the president,” a charge that falls under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code and carries a prison sentence of up to four years. The allegation stems from slogans chanted during Wednesday’s rally organized by the CHP.
The rally was part of the CHP’s ongoing “Protecting the National Will” campaign, launched in response to what the party describes as a politically motivated crackdown targeting opposition leaders and municipal officials. İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main rival, was detained on March 19 and subsequently arrested on March 23 on corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated.
The TİP posted a statement on its X account condemning the detentions, saying authorities were “fabricating crimes to punish the opposition” and vowing not to surrender to repression.
After the detainees appeared in court on Friday, a judge ordered their release.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel also commented on the detentions in a post on social media, saying, “Our TİP friends, who stood with us shoulder to shoulder in Bakırköy, have been released. Those who try to break our solidarity with midnight raids will not succeed. We will win by uniting.”