According to reports from independent NGOs and international observers, civil society organizations and individuals critical of the government in Turkey have been facing increasing restrictions for several years. In particular, there has been a decline in freedom of expression and freedom of the press, as well as in respect for human rights.
In March 2025, Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was arrested shortly before his official nomination as presidential candidate, sparking renewed nationwide protests. Among other things, these protests are directed against increasing repression, such as the wave of arrests of active opposition figures and the systematic restriction of freedom of expression and political engagement.
To counteract the repression, civil society actors in Turkey are developing a variety of counterstrategies. Different opposition groups are involved, from civil society organizations and political movements to diaspora initiatives. An essential element of these counterstrategies is not only to respond reactively to state repression, but also to proactively set their own agenda and positive visions for a democratic and human rights-oriented future.
In order to understand and discuss the current political situation in Turkey, the transformative power of the protest movement, and the role of the younger generation in it, Polis180 invites you to the Polis kocht! event. The following questions will be explored:
- What are the goals of the protest movement in Turkey? What successes has it achieved so far?
- How do civil society actors organize themselves despite repression and state control? (Who organizes themselves and where?)
- How is the government responding to the protest movement and its success?
- What role does international solidarity play for the protest movement and human rights work in Turkey?
- What does the future hold for the protest movement, what can (not) be expected from the movement?
We will discuss these questions with
Max Lucks, a member of the German Bundestag for Bündnis90/Die Grünen. He is a member of the finance committee and the committee for human rights and humanitarian aid, as well as a substitute member of the foreign affairs committee and chairman of the German-Turkish group of parliamentarians.
and
Imhan Azger, a Master’s student in Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East at Freie Universität Berlin. Imhan holds a B.A. in Sociology from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul and has worked as a Teaching Assistant on courses covering gender, religion, cultural resistance, and cinema. Her professional experience spans community building, cultural labor, and communications across Europe and West Asia.
The dish for the evening is going to be vegan Cig Köfte!
Polis180 is a think tank for foreign and European policy run primarily by volunteers. It was founded in 2015 with the vision of enabling young and inclusive approaches to policy-making. Since then, we have grown to over 500 members. Join us for a lively exchange of views, where we will examine and discuss the lessons learned from civil societies across Europe in the fight against the rise of autocratic structures and human rights violations.
“Polis kocht!” is a format for exchange between young people, activists, politicians, and scholars in foreign and European policy. We regularly invite participants to cook together and then engage in discussion. The dishes served are directly connected to the topic being explored.
