Why this young activist is risking his freedom to speak out against Turkey's president

Catherine Zhu · CBC Radio

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 5:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for ideology person flooded the streets crossed Turkey, marking the largest anti-government protests successful the country's caller history.

The protests erupted connected March 19 successful effect to the apprehension of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu connected corruption charges. 

İmamoğlu is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main governmental rival. He was poised wrong days to beryllium named by the Republican People's Party (CHP) arsenic its statesmanlike campaigner for the upcoming election.

The protests rapidly grew beyond calls for İmamoğlu's release, with demonstrators demanding broader governmental reforms and an extremity to the antiauthoritarian backsliding nether Erdoğan's rule.  

In implicit 1 week, astir 2,000 radical were detained, including pupil leaders, journalists and municipal workers. 

CHP person Özgür Özel announced a boycott of businesses linked to Erdoğan's government. 

Youth activistic Enes Hocaoğulları gave a code arsenic a younker delegate astatine the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities successful Strasbourg, France, urgently calling on determination makers to instrumentality a stand. He is the planetary relations coordinator of Ankara-based ÜniKuir, an relation advocating for the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ radical wrong Turkish universities.

He spoke to As It Happens big Nil Köksal astir returning to Turkey and the anti-government protests there. 

What was it similar to return?  

What I consciousness is simply a premix of euphoria and accent — not knowing if I'll beryllium detained [in the] adjacent hour. But the euphoria decidedly [outweighs it] since for each 1 connection I person saying I should beryllium enactment successful jailhouse oregon killed, I get 10 that says they are gladsome idiosyncratic has fixed america a wake-up call. 

Your family, were they disquieted aft they saw that code being shared and reshared? 

Yes. I was anxious astir whether I was going to beryllium capable to participate the state without detention.  

Are you prepared for that anticipation of detention?  

Yes. Unfortunately, close arsenic we speak, 301 of my peers are successful jailhouse waiting for a determination to beryllium made. 

We are not definite whether I volition articulation them oregon not. But I americium arsenic prepared arsenic I could beryllium erstwhile it comes to preparing a container and telling my ma I emotion her, arsenic good arsenic preparing myself mentally for specified [an] unfortunate result.  

Why [are] truthful galore young radical truthful vocal? 

Mayor İmamoğlu has been a cardinal absorption fig against Erdoğan since 2019. But these protests are not needfully astir İmamoğlu alone. 

The demonstrations absorption connected issues similar media censorship, authoritarianism, state of look and assembly, each together.

They are not lone needfully protests for İmamoğlu, but against Erdoğan.  Why the Turkish younker is truthful courageous close present is that they person mislaid their future. 

They person mislaid their opportunities, but portion doing so, they besides mislaid their fear. We person thing near to beryllium acrophobic of. So that's however we are truthful easy connected the streets warring for a anticipation of a future. 

Are you seeing a quality this clip compared to past protests?

The biggest difference, particularly successful examination to the Gezi protests successful 2013 and 2014, which was the biggest successful that decade, is the intersectionality. 

Erdoğan has gained truthful galore enemies successful the past 10 years that radical don't attraction astir their differences anymore. They conscionable attraction whether you are successful favour of Erdoğan oregon against Erdoğan. 

I person ne'er seen specified inclusive, specified divers protests successful my life. They cognize that they are against Erdogan and that's capable for them. 

Even the slogan CHP is utilizing for these protests is, "There is nary salvation alone, whether it's altogether oregon nary of us."

It makes consciousness that we've had truthful overmuch polarization successful the country, [so] that the lone mode to spell done this is to get together. 

WATCH | Demonstrators successful Istanbul clash with police:

Do you deliberation [the economical boycott] volition person the benignant of interaction you and your supporters are hoping? 

Yes, I deliberation so. If not, adjacent if it does not person a large interaction connected the country's economy, I deliberation it volition inactive springiness the radical the feeling that they tin bash something.

What would you similar to perceive and spot from different countries? 

I would accidental the main occupation successful Turkey close present is the authorities not caring astir the protests, truthful what I would suggest to determination makers overseas is to impulse the Turkish authorities to perceive to our needs and if you're not a determination shaper extracurricular Turkey I would impulse you to interaction your determination makers truthful that they tin talk retired against these quality rights violations.  

How bash you consciousness astir the clime close present and the imaginable for İmamoğlu's merchandise and the benignant of alteration that you would similar to see? 

I inactive consciousness a spot much optimistic astir the possibilities, considering that I'm not a politician, I'm not spending my days successful the parliament, talking to the aforesaid people.

I'm ever connected the streets, I spot the anticipation successful the people, I spot the anticipation successful the youth. That's what keeps maine inactive optimistic. 

The imaginable aboriginal we are talking astir does not needfully dwell [of] İmamoğlu. It conscionable consists [of] democracy. It consists [of] quality rights. It consists [of] a holistic … quality rights-centred and intersectional aboriginal wherever the regularisation of instrumentality is respected.