A Turkish opposition lawmaker was injured Monday when police intervened against protests at the Istanbul provincial headquarters of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the T24 news website reported.
Mahmut Tanal, a CHP member of parliament for Istanbul, said he was hurt during the police crackdown and was briefly hospitalized. Tanal posted photos from the hospital showing injuries to his face and head. He said he would be discharged and return to join his party colleagues at the building.
“Even if I am injured, even if batons are broken on my head and my eyes burn from tear gas, we will continue to resist and never give up the struggle,” Tanal wrote on X.
The protests began Sunday night after a court ruling on September 2 annulled the CHP’s 2023 Istanbul provincial congress and removed its elected leadership. The Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance appointed a caretaker board led by Gürsel Tekin, a former senior CHP lawmaker, in a decision the party denounced as unlawful. Tekin vowed to assume his duties despite being expelled from the party, prompting CHP members to stage an overnight sit-in at the headquarters.
Tensions escalated Monday when Tekin arrived to take control of the building. Police used tear gas and force to clear the way, detaining several demonstrators. CHP Deputy Chair Suat Özçağdaş said officers “stormed the building, beating people with shields and batons and filling the inside with gas.”
Tanal accused authorities of violating Turkey’s constitution and political party law by entering the building without a court order. “What happened is not only an attack on the CHP but also on democracy and the will of the people,” he said.
The Istanbul dispute comes as courts weigh broader challenges to the party’s leadership. A September 15 hearing in Ankara could annul the CHP’s November 2023 national congress and strip Chairman Özgür Özel of his position. Özel has rejected the judiciary’s role, calling the legal campaign a “judicial coup.”
The CHP, buoyed by sweeping victories in the 2024 local elections, has faced mounting pressure since March, when Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was jailed. At least 15 CHP mayors remain behind bars on corruption or terrorism-linked charges that rights groups say are politically motivated.
