Turkish riot police target opposition’s headquarters

Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the headquarters of the main opposition party to evacuate the ousted leadership, further exacerbating the political crisis.

As clouds of tear gas rose inside the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building on Sunday, people inside shouted and threw objects at the entrance as police breached makeshift barricades.

A Turkish court dismissed CHP leader Özgür Özel on Thursday, annulling the results of the CHP congress to which he was elected in 2023, citing irregularities.

On Sunday, the governor of Ankara ordered the evacuation of those at the headquarters.

Instead of Özel, the court reinstated former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdoğan in the general elections held in 2025.

The ousted CHP leadership, led by Özel, condemned the court decision as a “judicial coup”, and Özel promised to fight this decision by taking legal action and to stay at his party’s Ankara headquarters “day and night”.