Their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters were literally pulled out of their beds during police raids in their homes to be taken away by law enforcement officers. The charge against them: participation in an unauthorized demonstration. As evidence, they were shown photos from mass rallies in support of the imprisoned opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu. That's all, nothing more, writes the newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ) in a report from the "Marmara" campus, as the prison near the port city of Silivri is officially called. Every day, relatives of the detained young people gather in front of it in the hope of being released for visits.
"Anyone can be arrested"
This sinister prison is an hour's drive west of Istanbul and is one of the largest prisons in Europe. About a hundred students are currently being held there, and about 175 others are being held in other Turkish prisons. Imamoglu himself is being held in Silivri, as are about 50 of his supporters, FACS recalls.
"Today in Turkey, anyone can be arrested at any time", Büşra Çakır, a representative of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), told the German publication. "As lawyers, we know that such decisions are unfortunately made for political reasons", she added.
The purpose of the arrests is obvious – The protesting young people are being intimidated, as is also clear from the report by the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" from Silivri. The supposed message is: this could happen to any of you.
For the parents of the detained young people, this is a heavy blow - especially for those of them who previously supported President Erdogan. "For example, a conservative family told me that they were shocked by these unjust arrests", lawyer Çakır told the German publication. "This completely changes their attitude", she added.
Erdogan is trying to put pressure on parents to keep their children away from the streets and squares, writes FAZ and quotes a post by the Turkish president on the X platform: "Families must not allow their children to be used for the sinister plans of criminal organizations. No child should fall victim to the enemies of the nation, we cannot afford it".
"They want to scare us", says student Milena Sarpkaya, whose friend is in "Marmara". Whether the state will succeed is one of the key issues that could decide whether the protests will continue, writes FACS.
In general, she sees that the students are very active. Last Wednesday, they called for a consumer boycott - for one day, no one in the country would buy anything. "Even my grandmother in a village near Edirne baked her own bread on that day so that she wouldn't have to buy it", says Sarpkaya.
For now, the protest is moving from the streets to social media. Actors and singers have been called to support the students' struggle. Those who remain silent risk losing the support of their many fans. "Actors and singers are seen as opinion leaders and can influence others", says an unnamed film industry representative. He confirms to FACE that the pressure on those who do not want to take a stand is currently enormous.
Is there a chance of early elections?
Meanwhile, Özgür Özgel, the leader of İmamoğlu's Republican People's Party, was re-elected at an extraordinary party congress in Ankara on Sunday. He is now planning trips around the country to collect signatures for early elections. The goal is to collect as many signatures as Erdogan received in his last re-election.
From his cell in the "Marmara" prison Imamoglu has made it clear that he wants to open campaign offices in Ankara and Istanbul. However, there is no indication yet that Erdogan will agree to early elections, which he is likely to lose, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung report said.