BBC
Yasin Akgul, a photojournalist for AFP, was arrested at his home
It was early on March 23rd that police came to the door of Yasin Akgul in Istanbul. His children were still in bed. A few hours ago, Turkish photojournalists returned home to cover a massive amount of anti-government protests. Now he was wanted.
“I went to the door and saw a lot of police,” he says. “They said they got an arrest order for me but didn’t give me any details. My son was awake, and I couldn’t even tell him what was going on because I didn’t get it myself.”
As an AFP news agency photojournalist, Akgul has seen “sufficient action” for over a decade, from war-torn Syria to IS-controlled Iraq. In his home town in Turkey, he says he was beaten by police several times while taking photos – he has been detained “many times” including World Peace Day.
However, it was the first time he was arrested at home.
“The cold fell on top of the house,” he said. “In my job, in the protest, I saw a lot of violence and tear gas, but having police in my home made me even more scared.”
Acgl was one of seven journalists arrested in the dawn attack. All covered the protests sparked by the arrest of the city’s opposition mayor of Eklem Imamoguru, the major political rival of Turkish longtime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Protesters say the mayor’s arrest for the corruption charge he denied is politically motivated – an attempt to end his hopes of becoming the country’s next president.
Authorities had banned protests, but they were unable to stop them.
Akgul faces accusations of “participating in illegal rallies and marches.” He says the purpose is clear – to stop others from taking photos of Türkiye’s biggest anxiety for over a decade.
He wore a thick-gas mask of it when he took some of the night’s most iconic images.
Yasin Akgul/AFP
Photos of Acgul from the protests have been seen all over the world
His photo shows a man dressed to the swirling Delvish (mystic of dance) scattered by the lines of riot police.
“This message is for all journalists,” he says. “Don’t shoot (don’t take photos), don’t talk, don’t shoot. They fear other journalists that they may face the same thing once they return to the field.” He believes the fact that he works for International News Agency’s AFP makes that message even bigger.
It is received and understood.
“After we were arrested, many freelance journalists couldn’t shoot the next day. Everyone was scared,” he told us.
Their three-year-old daughter, Ipek, lay on the couch and held her father’s hand. Their sons, Ummut, eight, were listening in Harry Potter style hats and glasses.
Akgul believes that those arrested were carefully selected. “They’re trying to get us out of the front line,” he says.
Many of his friends – fellow journalists – have already removed themselves and are leaving Turkey because they face or are afraid of the accusations.
For now, his family is among many who are worried that they could be torn apart by the court. The government says the judiciary is independent. Human rights groups say judges are under political control and Türkiye’s democracy is eroded year by year.
With many loyal supporters, President Erdogan holds the lever of power. He says the protest is “street terrorism” and denies the opposition to leading “a move of violence.” He predicts the demonstration will fade.
perhaps. Probably not.
BBC’s Mark Lowen was deported from Istanbul after 17 hours of detention as Yasin Akgul was released from prison on the morning of March 27th. He was given a treatise that he was a “threat to public order.”
Authorities later said that after the BBC reported the story he was deported because he lacked recognition.
Journalists aren’t the only ones at risk. One of the mayor’s own lawyers was briefly detained “on fictitious reasons,” according to a social media post sent by Ekrem Imamoglu from his cell in a high-end prison.
His legal team fights, but they feel cold too.
“I think the right to defense is sacred. It’s part of a fair trial where your lawyer should feel comfortable and safe,” says Ece Guner, lawyer and mayor’s advisor.
“To be honest, it would be a lie to say no one is worried,” she told us.
Lawyer ECE Guner is the advisor to the arrested mayor of Istanbul.
Where is Türkiye’s democracy standing now? Some people here fear that it will be in their final gasp.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Home Affairs, the past two weeks — around 2,000 people have been detained since the protest began on March 19.
Many of them are students and members of the Erdogan generation, only knowing the 22-year rules of Turkish longtime leaders. If you arrest them, you’ll receive another message.
“This is a big warning to young people, a loud, clear warning. Don’t get involved,” says Emma Sinclair Webb, Turkish director at Human Rights Watch.
She says the government has also said that it is “intensive in all directions against the perceived opposition parties here, not just the Mayor Republican National Party (CHP), but also from the quarter.
“Public institutions are under threat,” she says. “If they speak up and use their voices in authority, there are attempts to suppress them right away.”
She hopes that she will see ongoing attempts to limit protests in the coming months, “putting them out of sight.”
That’s not difficult given the government here has extensive control over the media. The enormous demonstrations held so far have not led state television or pro-government outlet bulletins. When they were shown, the protesters were called terrorists.
The latest rally – last weekend – attracted at least hundreds of thousands. The opposition claims that over 2 million people participated.
Some families brought several generations with them to hear the call for change in the warm sun. We saw the usual intense police presence, but this time there were no tear gas or rubber bullets. This assembly is not prohibited.
Getty Images
There was a huge crowd at the opposition rally on March 29th
In the crowd we met Alp, 32. We didn’t ask for last name – many protesters prefer not to give theirs. He said he was worried about the risk of arrest.
“The police are gathering students, women and workers like us,” he said.
“So we are all in danger right now. But we have to stand up. That’s our only choice. If we don’t do anything, if we’re watching, the fight is already gone.”
Opposition parties are committed to maintaining their protests and campaigns on the streets. They are calling for a presidential election to be filed starting in 2028.
Opposition polls suggest that President Erdogan will lose to Imamogul – if he was released from prison and could run as a candidate.
The President himself should not be able to run as he is already in his second term – but here there is speculation that he can try to change the constitution.
Opposition parties have argued that there will be weekly protests from now on. If so, it’s certain that the arrests will continue.
It is unclear whether Yasin Akgul’s case will go to trial, but the charges against him remain. Despite the dangers, he wants to continue telling the story here.
“Someone needs to do this job,” he says, “I think I’m one of those people.”
