This is Beirut

Referral of Daraj and Megaphone to the Public Prosecution in Beirut

This is Beirut, 26/03 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

On Wednesday, Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal al-Hajjar referred the complaint filed by lawyers Elie Shahla, Joseph Zeidan and George Moussally against the media platforms Daraj Media, represented by editor-in-chief Hazem Al-Amin, chairwoman Aliya Ibrahim and managing editor Diana Moukalled, as well as Megaphone, represented by CEO Jean Kassir and ...

Turkey Protesters Defiant Despite Mass Arrests

This is Beirut, 26/03 15:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Protests

Protesters were defiant Wednesday despite a growing crackdown and nearly 1,500 arrests as they marked a week since the start of Turkey's biggest street demonstrations against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2013. The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a graft and ...

Defense: As the US Disengages, Turkey Eyes the Old Continent

Malo Pinatel, 26/03 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Turkey European Union Donald Trump Europe Middle East

While the world’s attention was fixed on the March 12 summit between Ukraine and the United States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, another important meeting was taking place in the region – in Ankara. It brought together Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the aim of strengthening ties between the ...

Shaken by Instability, Will Erdoğan Choose the Path to Damascus?

Paul Guillot, 25/03 18:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Middle East Turkey United States

The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan’s main political rival, has triggered an unprecedented wave of protests across Turkey. Accused of corruption, İmamoğlu denounces what he describes as a politically motivated attempt to sideline him ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Since his detention, tens of thousands ...

Turkish Court Jails 7 Journalists after Anti-Erdogan Protests

This is Beirut, 25/03 16:36 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Protests Ekrem Imamoglu

A Turkish court on Tuesday remanded in custody seven journalists for covering the mass protests that erupted following the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, in a crackdown that has now seen more than 1,400 people arrested. Among the journalists placed under arrest by the Istanbul court was AFP photographer Yasin ...

Istanbul Mayor Arrested: An Economic Shock for Turkey

Christiane Tager, 24/03 20:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Republicans Turkey

Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul since 2019 and member of the Republican People's Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi or CHP in Turkish), the main opposition party, was incarcerated after being convicted of “public insults” against government officials. This development comes at a particularly difficult time for the Turkish economy, already ...

Turkey Detains 1,100 People Since Erdogan Rival's Arrest

This is Beirut, 24/03 15:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Arrests Recep Tayyip Erdogan Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police have detained more than 1,100 people, including journalists, since the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival sparked the country's worst unrest in years, a minister said on Monday. The demonstrations began in Istanbul after Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest last week and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 ...

Istanbul's Imamoglu - Declared Opposition Presidential Candidate - Spends First Night in Jail

This is Beirut, 24/03 10:45 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu

Istanbul's embattled Ekrem Imamoglu spent his first night in jail Monday a day after his suspension as mayor, as 10 journalists were detained for covering the mass demonstrations that his detention sparked across Turkey. The protests began in Istanbul after Imamoglu's arrest on Wednesday and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 ...

Turkey Wants More Than 700 X Accounts Blocked

This is Beirut, 23/03 21:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Turkey Protests Erdogan Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkey's authorities, faced with a mass opposition movement following the detention of the opposition mayor of Istanbul, have called for the closure of more than 700 accounts on X, the online platform said Sunday. "We object to multiple court orders from the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block over 700 ...

Istanbul mayor's lawyers vow to appeal court's arrest decision

This is Beirut, 23/03 12:34 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Turkey Ekrem Imamoglu Recep Tayyip Erdogan Protests

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's legal team will appeal a court decision Sunday that formalized the key opposition figure's arrest in a graft probe, one of the lawyers told AFP. Separately, the court decided against formalizing his arrest in a "terror" probe. Imamoglu's detention on Wednesday over both investigations has ...

Turkey Braces for Fourth Night of Protest as Mayor Arrives in Court

This is Beirut, 22/03 19:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey Protests Ekrem Imamoglu Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Huge crowds gathered outside Istanbul City Hall late Saturday for a fourth night of protests over the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has blasted official allegations against him as "immoral and baseless". The demonstrations, which began in Istanbul on Wednesday, have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, ...

Istanbul Bar Association Board Dismissed Over 'Terror Propaganda'

This is Beirut, 21/03 20:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Istanbul Protests Istanbul Bar Association

The Istanbul Bar Association's executive board was dismissed Friday on grounds of "terrorist propaganda" and "publicly spreading false information", according to a court ruling published online by a lawyers' association. Prosecutors had filed suit on January 15 several weeks after the Istanbul Bar Association demanded an investigation into the ...

Turkey