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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Graham Snowdon

Turkish democracy in turmoil: inside the 4 April Guardian Weekly

The cover of the 4 April edition of the Guardian Weekly magazine.
The cover of the 4 April edition of the Guardian Weekly magazine. Illustration: Kemal Aslan/AFP/Getty/Guardian Design

The detention of the popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month has sparked Turkey’s largest anti-government protests in years, with people gathering nightly amid violent clashes with police. But after thousands of arrests and with disagreements about how the protests should move forwards, the opposition movement is at a crossroads.

Amid concerns that Turkey may be slipping irretrievably towards full authoritarianism, Ruth Michaelson reports from Istanbul on how the detention of a popular young activist has caused particular anger among opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. Ruth also weighs up what options now lie ahead for the protest movement amid disagreements about the best way forward.

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