Israel accuses Erdoğan of ‘crushing Turkish democracy’

Erdoğan has led Turkey for more than two decades, serving as prime minister from 2003 before becoming president in 2014, consolidating power under an executive presidency approved in a 2017 referendum.

By JNS

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government of “crushing Turkish democracy in broad daylight,” citing reports of police action against opposition figures.

In a post on X, the ministry said opposition parties were being targeted and critics silenced, and criticized what it described as a lack of response from the international community.

The remarks followed reports that Turkish riot police forcibly entered sites linked to opposition leadership, including offices of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.

Police stormed CHP headquarters in Ankara on Sunday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters and officials who had barricaded themselves inside for several days, according to local media and opposition accounts.

The move ended a standoff tied to a court decision nullifying CHP leader Ozgur Ozel’s election to the post and reinstating his predecessor.

The opposition has denounced the ruling as politically motivated, part of broader pressure on the party ahead of future elections.

Turkish authorities have maintained that the judiciary operates independently and denies political interference.

Erdoğan has led Turkey for more than two decades, serving as prime minister from 2003 before becoming president in 2014, consolidating power under an executive presidency approved in a 2017 referendum.

His party suffered a setback in 2019 local elections when the CHP won control of several major cities, including Istanbul, where Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu emerged as a leading opposition figure seen as a potential challenger to Erdoğan.

İmamoğlu, who has served as mayor since 2019, has been suspended from office and remains in pretrial detention since 2025.

He denies the charges against him, describing them as politically motivated.