Overview
- Police stormed the CHP headquarters in Ankara on Sunday, using tear gas and rubber bullets to break through barricades and force Özgür Özel and his supporters out of the building.
- A court decision earlier this week declared the CHP’s 2023 party congress invalid, provisionally removed Özel and ordered the return of his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to leadership.
- Turkey’s justice authorities announced the arrest of 13 CHP members accused of interfering in the 2023 vote, and the governor’s office directed the evacuation that led to the raid.
- Large protests followed the raid, including mass demonstrations in Izmir on Tuesday where police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse crowds called out by Özel.
- Observers and rights groups say the case fits a wider pattern of legal measures against CHP figures, noting the previous removals and detention of prominent figures such as Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.