Istanbul

Dubbed "My Family is Safe," the government's crackdown comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promotes a "Decade of Family and Population," an initiative designed to tackle falling birth rates.

"The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is not directed against a specific country," Fidan said, adding that the member states are considering establishing a mechanism to add new members.

During the event, the secretary general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a Muslim Brotherhood organization operating from Qatar, called for aid to be transferred to Gaza.

The opposition has rejected a wave of accusations since 2024 and says the investigations are politically motivated. The government says the judiciary is independent.

Footage showed flag-waving protesters chanting slogans including "Murderer NATO, get out of the country" and "No passage to NATO," as riot police intervened using tear gas to disperse crowds.

The comments followed over 50 detentions at banned Istanbul Pride and after Turkish officials denied docking permission to a long-planned LGBT cruise.

The performance quickly went viral online, and attracted more than nine million views on YouTube as of Friday, with clips spreading widely across X/Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms

Our guard stands in the cold, gives up holidays with his family, and carries a responsibility he never chose. When tragedy comes, men like him are often the first line of defense.

A court ruling targeting the CHP shows how Turkey's institutions now serve power rather than democratic change.