140journos followed turkey’s main opposition republican people’s party (chp) leader kemal kılıçdaroğlu’s 420-kms-long ‘justice march’ from ankara to istanbul.
kılıçdaroğlu started walking from ankara towards istanbul on june 15 after chp deputy enis berberoğlu was arrested by an istanbul court.
in may 2016, turkish parliament passed a constitutional amendment which revoked judicial impunity of the members of the parliament in a move that was mainly believed to target the kurdish opposition. since then many members of the opposition people’s democratic party (hdp), including both of its co-chairs, were put behind the bars. main opposition leader kilicdaroglu embarked on the march on june 15th, one day after one of his party’s lawmakers, former journalist, daily hurriyet’s editor-in-chief enis berberoğlu, was sentenced to 25-years prison time after he leaked classified information and photographs regarding the syria-bound trucks operated by the turkish intelligence which allegedly carried weapon support equipment that were destined to the opposition groups in syria.
the verdict against berberoğlu raised fears among the members of chp, the party of the republic’s founder mustafa kemal and the oldest political party in turkey, as the party is thought to be next in-line in government’s crackdown on dissenters.
kılıçdaroğlu’s march ended in istanbul with a massive “justice meeting.” more than two million people attended the meeting chp estimates however istanbul governor’s office says only 175 thousands people were in the meeting area, president erdoğan also said 170 thousands protesters were at the meeting.
