Overview

• Authorities announced a three-day prohibition on public gatherings in central districts and ringed the CHP’s Istanbul office with police barricades, restricting access.
• A court last week voided the party’s 2023 provincial congress, suspended the local leadership, and named former lawmaker Gursel Tekin as interim chair slated to assume the post on Monday.
• CHP leader Özgür Özel urged residents to assemble in protest, and supporters began gathering outside the building despite the ban.
• Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported access limits on X, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp following calls for rallies.
• CHP says the actions are politically driven and points to the earlier arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, while the government cites judicial independence, and a separate Ankara ruling later this month could reshape the party’s national leadership.