Who is protesting in Turkey and why?

What in the World

• Episode: Who is protesting in Turkey and why?
• Website: What in the World
• Feed URL: https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/w13xtvrv.rss
• Duration: 00:10:42
• Published: 2025-03-26 15:30

Thousands of people in Turkey turned out for a seventh night of protests which have so far seen more than 1,400 people detained, including students, journalists and lawyers. Demonstrations began in Istanbul on 19 March, when the city's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - who is seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival - was arrested on corruption charges.

In this episode we bring you the background to the protests. Nihan Kalle, a reporter for BBC Monitoring in Istanbul, tells us why President Erdogan is still popular after 22 years in power and why Ekrem Imamoglu is seen as a threat to him. BBC Turkish reporter Özge Özdemir explains the state of democracy in Turkey right now. And we hear directly from some of the student protestors - what changes do they want to see in Turkey?

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison, Julia Ross-Roy and Maria Clara Montoya Editor: Verity Wilde