Global News Podcast - Turkey protests: More than 1,000 people arrested in 5 days

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

More than 1,000 people have been detained in Turkey during 5 days of protests about the arrest of President Erdogan's main rival, the mayor of Istanbul. Also: How do elite athletes cope with fasting during Ramadan?

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Julio and 14 Hours GMT on Monday, the 24th of March. These are our main stories. More demonstrators and journalists are arrested in Turkey, as the authorities say they've detained well over a thousand people in the past five days of protests. Talks between US and Russian negotiators are underway in Saudi Arabia as Donald Trump pushes for a swift end to the war in Ukraine. Israel intensifies

its bombardment of Gaza. Palestinian health officials say at least 60 people have been killed in the renewed assault. Also in this podcast, why this comic song has caused a stir about freedom of speech in India. We start in Turkey, where in less than a week, the man seen as the strongest challenger to President Erdogan's decades-long dominance of Turkish politics, Ekrem Imamoglu has been arrested, interrogated, jailed and stripped of his position as mayor of Istanbul, sparking some of the biggest protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade. Despite being charged with corruption, he has now officially been nominated as a presidential

candidate by the opposition CHP party. Mr. Imamoglu says the charges against him are politically motivated. A ban on protests failed to deter Turks from taking to the streets in large numbers for a fifth night running to voice their fears for the future of their democracy. Among them, this woman in Istanbul. future of their democracy. Among them, this woman in Istanbul. There is no such thing as justice in the Republic of Turkey. Absolutely not. I don't believe it. I'm even thinking of leaving the country. I don't want to live here anymore. I mean, I have a beautiful country. I don't want to live in it because people are ruling it. Since the protests began on Wednesday, the Turkish government says more than 1,100 people have been arrested, including at least 10

journalists detained today in dawn raids. We got this update from Hilken Boran of the BBC Turkish service who's in Istanbul. What we know about the arrests is the official statement from the Interior Minister Ali Al-Likaya and he has said that more than 1,100 people have been detained. And we know that 123 police officers have been injured throughout these protests from Yallikaya's statements. And as for the morning raise that you mentioned, we know that especially photojournalists appear to have been targeted because they have been reporting on the protests, because Turkey's media watchdog has been warning other news organizations to not directly make news of the protests, especially with live broadcasts.

So it appears that this might be a targeted operation to prevent people from learning more about the protests. But what we know from the main opposition is that they will be going out in force again into the streets because head of the CHP, Özgür Özal, has called on people to gather in front of the city hall once again and it remains to be seen whether the number of people who are going out today on the sixth night of consecutive protests will match the previous nights. And despite the arrest of Mr. Imamoglu and the fact that he's been charged with corruption, the opposition party that he heads went ahead with its vote to choose him as its presidential candidate with a

huge turnout in the primary. Yes the primary was actually initially slated only for members of the main opposition party but after Imam Abdullah's arrest on the 19th of March the head of the main opposition announced that there will be solidarity boxes ballots being set up so that people who are not party members could also vote and Özal claimed in a speech yesterday in front of Istanbul's city hall, that close to 15 million people have showed up and voted with just one million, one and a half million, approximately of them being CHP members. And he said that this number of people voting for Remembrulu puts Erdogan's

legitimacy in question. And he has challenged the Turkish president to early elections, because normally the elections are slated for 2028. And there are big questions about whether President Erdogan can contain these protests, especially given the fact that he has had run-ins in the past with the Turkish military. Of course, this is a thorny subject to talk about because when it comes to Turkey's military history, we know of several coups that have been initiated by the military beforehand, but in today's Turkey, it's a much different picture. Now, the main opposition party has been describing the events since the 19th of March as a political coup against them and against their presidential candidate, but going beyond that, it's really

hard to gauge what is going to happen in the coming days. What we know so far is that Imamoglu's absence, the Istanbul City Council will be gathering on the 26th of March to elect a replacement for Imamoglu. And because the city council, the CHP has the majority in the council, we are expecting a CHP nominated candidate to take over Imamoglu's post as he's going through these legal cases. Hylken Boran in Istanbul. As we record this podcast, talks between US and Russian officials are underway in Saudi Arabia to try to agree a plan to stop the fighting in Ukraine. It comes a day after the Americans met with the Ukrainian side for discussions that were later

described by Ukraine's defence minister as productive and focused. While Ukraine says it's ready for a full truce, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that he will seek a wide range of concessions first. The US special envoy, Steve Wittkopf, told Fox News before the talks that he was optimistic that the Russian leader was interested in ending the conflict. Steve Wittkopf, U.S. Special Envoy to Russia I feel that he wants peace. The president had two very productive calls this week or last week I should say one with President Zelensky, one with President Putin. I was in on I

sat and listened to both of them. In both conversations it was all about a lasting peace. But this optimism is not shared by Russia itself. The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were still many outstanding issues to be resolved. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman Apparently we are talking about the desire and willingness of countries to move towards a peaceful settlement. There is indeed a common understanding here. In general, of course, there are still a lot of different aspects related to the settlement to be worked out.

Our security correspondent Frank Gardner is covering the talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The glittering opulence of Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton Hotel is the venue today for crucial talks aimed at pausing at least aspects of the war in Ukraine. The Russian delegation is on one floor, the Ukrainians, all 25 of them, are on another. The Americans have been meeting both, trying to live up to the rather optimistic expectations of President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The Ukrainians say their talks last night were productive. They brought with them technical experts from the Energy Ministry as well as diplomats and naval officers to discuss how to safeguard Black Sea shipping lanes. The Russians are keen to revive a Moroband deal in the Black Sea which allowed them to export farm produce and

fertilizer in exchange for refraining from attacks on Ukrainian shipping. Frank Gardner in Riyadh. Before we move on we have another Q&A with our BBC colleagues from Ukrainecast coming up soon and we'd like your questions to put to the team. Our email address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk that's globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk and if you can please record your question as a voice note. To Gazana where there have been intensified Israeli airstrikes on targets across the territory. The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza says more than 60 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the number who have died since Israel broke the ceasefire last

week to more than 700. Among those killed was a Hamas leader who died in a strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the south. Israel does not allow foreign journalists to report independently from Gaza so Eme Nader filed this report from Jerusalem. Videos show the chaos in the moments after the strike, a floor of the Nasser hospital on fire and a ward destroyed. Ismail Barhum, the head of Hamas's financial department is understood to have been one of the last two members of the group's political bureau remaining in Gaza. He was receiving treatment for injuries sustained in an earlier strike at the busy hospital's surgery department. Palestinian health officials said a 16-year-old

recovering from surgery was among those killed and many others were injured including medical personnel. The head of the hospital accused Israel of violating all international and humanitarian laws. Israel's Minister of Defense said Bar-Hum had become the new prime minister of Gaza in recent days but Hamas hasn't confirmed this. Israel is expanding its ground-on-air attacks with initial reports of numerous deadly raids launched on Monday morning in cities including Rafah and Khan Yunis. On Sunday health officials announced that the number of Palestinians killed since Israel began its campaign in Gaza has passed 50,000. Emma Nader. Shortly before we recorded this podcast one of France's most famous film stars Gerard Depardieu

arrived at a court in Paris to face sexual assault charges. The 76-year-old is accused of groping two women on a film set four years ago. In the past around 20 women have accused him of sexual assault or abuse. This is the first case to come to trial. Gérard Depardieu denies all the allegations. Our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield spoke to us from outside the court. Gérard Depardieu is in the court. He arrived shortly before the session opened looking OK, but looking his age, let's not forget that he's also quite ill in the sense that he has a heart condition and diabetes. And that's one reason why this court case was

postponed from its original scheduled date, which was in October, and even now there are sort of special provisions to account for his poor state of health. It's the first time Gérard Dupont-Durieux has come to trial after a number of allegations about his behaviour on film sets dating back many many years. In this particular case we're talking about a film which was made a few years ago, it was sang without trace, the film called L'Evole Vert, incidentally about an aging actor, company-determined with his own declining career. On the set there were two women who said that they were abused sexually by Gérard Depasier,

that he groped them, that he manhandled them, that he touched their breasts and their buttocks, one of them complained and said she wanted an apology, she got a kind of apology, but one accompanied by all sorts of lewd language and so on. The defence, that is, Gérard de Pondier and his lawyers contest this totally, say that only one side of the story has been heard so far. I mean, this is a very big story in France. Gérard de Pondier, we know, has been the butt of many, many accusations of sexual misbehaviour, abuse, lewd behaviour, going back some years now. But before that he was what they call a monstre sacré, a holy monster of cinema. In other words, the most admired and highly regarded of cinema actors of his time.

And probably the most well-known French male actor around the world, I would say. But of course his star fell dramatically when these accusations started coming in in the wake of the Me Too movement a few years ago. And now his reputation is a shadow of its former self. Hughes-Gerfield in Paris. In Nigeria, more than three quarters of people use skin lightening creams,

commonly known as bleaching creams. It's the country with the highest use in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. In 2023 Nigeria's food and drug regulator NAFTAQ declared a state of emergency over these products but it's not just adults there's a worrying trend of parents using the creams on their children even on babies. Medina Mashanu has been to Tukano state one of several major hubs for skin bleaching in the country, from where she sent this report.

My youngest child was barely two years old when I started bleaching him, and the scars have started showing on his skin. This Nigerian mother used skin lightening creams on all six of her children, which she says burnt their skin. We are concealing her identity for their privacy. When my daughter was mistaken for a drug addict because of the bleaching, it

made me extremely sad. She says she did it because of pressure from her own mother. When I visit my mother, she shows more love to her other light-skinned grandchildren. But when I got the bleaching cream and started using it on them, they became lighter and then she started bringing them closer to her. Her story is part of a growing trend in Africa, says medical aesthetician and campaigner Zeyna Bashiriyaou. So, a lot of people link light skin to beauty or wealth. Women tend to shield, as they call it, shield their children from that discrimination by bleaching them

from childbirth. Some of these women even go to the extent of taking injections while they are pregnant just so they can give birth to lighter skinned children. Long-time use of skin lightening products can have serious consequences. They can have severe rashes all over their bodies. We've also had cases of immunofirst degree burn. It can also affect their kidney, which we call the nephrotic syndrome. Common bleaching ingredients include steroids, mercury, hydroquinone and cardiac acid. Many of these are banned or tightly regulated by Nigeria's food and drug

regulator, NAFDAQ, especially in children's products. Despite tight regulations, these bleaching creams are so easily accessible. For example, in this supermarket in Kano State, when I picked up one of the creams that says baby bleaching cream, I noticed that many of the ingredients here are illegal substances. I met one mother in the market buying bleaching creams for her kids, despite her own hands being discoloured by them. Many shopkeepers here, who were not identifying for their safety, mixed their own creams from

raw ingredients. It wasn't clear how precisely they were measuring the bleaching chemicals. We decide the percentage depending on what the customers want. Some want full tablespoon, then sometimes we use baby teaspoon. Some sellers I spoke to admitted they were not aware of all the NAFTAQ rules. NAFTAQ has regulated the use of Kodjic acid. You can now only use a certain percentage. Did you know that? No, I didn't. But now that you've told me about it, now I know. I asked NAFTAQ what it's doing to educate sellers.

We have done our own sensitisation. Many of them, all those people from the market, they came and they asked questions. I was there and I also made a presentation to them on the dangers of all these things. Why isn't NAFDAQ doing enough? Since sensitisation is clearly not working. Our officers are already gathering intelligence. Once we are ready to strike, we will strike. With so many producers and such high demand, the challenges are vast. What happened to me is why I want to advise other people not to follow this route. They

will regret it. You need to accept how God created you. For this message to be heard, it needs to break through deeply entrenched views on skin colour. Until it does, the health of many children may yet be put at risk. That report from Nigeria by Medina Mashaynu. Still to come. I wouldn't say that Ramadan is difficult. It's more mental because personally I'm used to doing it.

It's more the lack of water. How one Premier League footballer copes while fasting during Ramadan. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. It's the latest twist in the months of political turmoil that have rocked South Korea since its president, Yun Sung-nyeol, briefly declared martial law last December. This led to him being impeached, as was the man who became acting president, the Prime Minister Han Duk-soo. Now Mr. Han's impeachment has been dismissed by a constitutional court, which has reinstated him as South Korea's acting president. Mr. Han unsurprisingly welcomed the ruling.

I am grateful for the wise decision by the constitutional court. Above all else, I want to thank the former acting President Choi Sang-mak and cabinet members for leading the country during the suspension of my duty. I will tend to the most urgent matters." The court found no proof that Mr. Han had played an active role in approving the short-lived martial law declared by President Yun. There's now speculation that Mr. Yun's impeachment could also be overturned soon. Our Asia Pacific editor is Miki Bristow.

There's a lot of complications to this story. Essentially it began back in December when the President Yun Sung-Yul declared martial law. He tried to declare martial law. He was impeached, removed from office a week later and into into the breach stepped Han Duk Su. He became acting president. He was the prime minister, became acting president, but then he too was removed from office, impeached by the National Assembly, and so a third politician had to step into the role as acting president. What the Constitutional Court has done today is to say that Mr. Han should not have been removed from office as acting president and they've reinstated him. So he's gone straight back to the office, resumed duties as you heard there, he thanked

the judges. So still a lot of change, still a lot of upheaval. We've got an acting president back in office in the shape of Mr Han. But at the same time we've still got the president being impeached who briefly declared martial law at the end of last year. Will the verdict in the case of Mr Han have any bearing on Mr Yun's case? Yeah, this court ruling today is essentially a sideshow, a minor event compared to the big event, which is the constitutional court's decision on whether to endorse the impeachment of the president, you'll for declaring martial law. It was possible that today's ruling could have indicated which way the judges were thinking, but in actual fact, what they did, they were looking narrowly whether Mr. Han, the acting president, had been involved in martial law. They decided that he had nothing to do with that. So essentially, it doesn't really give as much of an indication of how they're going

to rule in the bigger decision on Mr. Yoon's impeachment. Now that's expected, well it was expected already. Some people thought it was going to come mid-March. It's impeachment. Now that's expected. Well, it was expected already. Some people thought it was going to come mid-March. It hasn't. And so a lot of people now are trying to work out what it is the judges are thinking, want them to get on and make this decision. Because as long as this decision isn't made, the political turmoil and chaos in South Korea continues. Once they've made the decision on Mr. Yoon, he will have a go back to being president or he will be dismissed permanently and there'll be new elections within two months. So it's only this next court case which will really will

see the beginning at the end of the political turmoil in South Korea. Niki Bristow, the once popular American DNA testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection and announced the resignation of its CEO and co-founder, Anne Wojcicki. The company says it will now attempt to sell itself under the supervision of a court. This comes six months after the firm settled a lawsuit alleging it failed to protect the privacy of nearly seven million customers whose personal information was exposed in a 2023 data breach. Our North America technology correspondent, Lydia Giammali, told us more. This company was really premised on the idea that you could spit

into a test tube and learn a whole lot about your ancestry as well as potential health risks. And it was a product that really resonated with customers certainly. They had a whole bunch of celebrity endorsements early on. And it also resonated with investors who took the value of this company up to $6 billion at one point. It has now fallen by about 98, 99%. It's lost that much value.

They're going into chapter 11 in the hopes that they will be able to sell the company through a court-supervised process. But the company's saying that, for now, not much changes. It stays in operations. But I can tell you that on Friday, just a couple days ago, going into this announcement of this chapter 11 bankruptcy protection situation that they're now in,

the attorney General of California actually issued a consumer alert here in our state saying that people can delete their data to protect it because there's so much uncertainty about the company's financial situation now. Lali Jamali, now to India. ["Phaan Ki Riksha"] ["Cheri Pe Daadi"] ["Aankho Mein Chashma"] Now to India.

Where the comedian singing this parody song is being investigated for possible defamation for joking about an Indian state leader who is an ally of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It's just the latest case in India that raises questions about freedom of speech. Police in the Western city of Mumbai opened an investigation against Kunal Kamra over his comedy skit following a complaint filed by a politician from the state leaders party after supporters were angered by the use of the word traitor. The venue where the comedian performed was reportedly ransacked. Our correspondent in Delhi, Aruna Day Mukherjee, told us more. This comedian was performing at a venue in the city of Mumbai where he made those comments

which you heard vis-a-vis that song. Multiple police complaints following that have been filed against the comic for making those references. Now there is a background to this and that is that the target of the Comedy Act is the current Deputy Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra, the capital of which is the city of Mumbai. Now this person had rebelled against his party and then formed a breakaway one which allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party belonging to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is why the reference to a traitor was made by this comedian. Now this is essentially why you're seeing this kind of controversy erupt. We saw the supporters going ahead and protesting.

Now the old party to which this politician belonged to has come out in support of the comedian, while the new party, along with the ruling BJP, continues to criticise this comedian and also, as I mentioned, police cases have been filed. And has there been any response from the comedian? Not yet. We haven't heard from him as yet. I've been trying to track his social media accounts but we haven't heard him say anything at the moment. But in the past this comedian has had similar run-ins with the ruling establishment and authorities. He's had police cases, court cases against him, so this is not new and

usually if history is to be seen, he is usually seen to have brazened these out even in the past. And he's quite well known in the comedy circles as someone who has always taken on the ruling establishment with satire. I mean, there have been reports that the comedy venue has been ransacked and this all comes at a time of growing concern in India about freedom of speech and intimidation of the media. Absolutely and I think that is the point that is also being reported. Angry supporters of

the party yesterday went on a rampage at this studio where the comments were actually made. This was according to them a sign of their protest and anger. Visuals that we've seen on social media and local television channels showed that the supporters were swinging chairs and damaging cameras and lights at the studio where these comments were made. They've also warned for more protests if action is not taken against the comedian. You have to understand that this is a party which is currently in alliance with the BJP, currently governing the state of Maharashtra, so the police in a way is directly answerable to this government.

So, it would be interesting to see how the police actually acts. But like you pointed out, there have been cases against comedians, artists, actors for expressing dissent, for hurting sentiments for another community. It's been a polarizing issue. One side always says freedom of speech is guaranteed in the Indian constitution, while the other side says that it should not be abused. And even in this case, the current Chief Minister has said that freedom of speech is not absolute and it cannot encroach on others' freedom either.

Arundhade Mukherjee. In recent years, elite level sport has started doing more to help professional Muslim athletes who observe the holy month of Ramadan. The Premier League is a good example, introducing pauses in play that allow players to break their fast if the sun sets during a game. But it's not easy to play football without eating or drinking during daylight hours. Our reporter, Ian Williams, has been speaking to one Premier League star about his faith. The call to prayer, a sound familiar to Muslims across the world. During Ramadan, the holy month in which followers believe the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, spiritual reflection becomes even more important. Such as for those bowing in prayer here at Poole Mosque on England's south coast.

But among the regular worshippers is someone recognisable to millions. Someone who has travelled a long way from home and who finds familiarity in faith. My name is Dango Watarra. I was born in Wagadougou in Burkina Faso. I play football for Bournemouth in the Premier League. For me, faith comes first. It comes before football. Faith allows me to overcome many challenges, to respect others, to be stable in everything I do, whether it's on the pitch or off it. it allows me to be calm in my daily life."

As Dango poses for photographs, it's clear that his quiet, unassuming nature is at odds with the stereotype of the flashy Premier League player. player. The 23-year-old winger arrived in Bournemouth from French side Lorient just over two years ago but until today's visit some at the mosque still didn't know they had such a famous member of their family. And for Dango who left Africa five years ago as a teenager that family has been important. When you find yourself in another town, having the community shows that you are not alone. And as I came to the mosque, everything went well for me with the football." One of only four Burkinaubis to play in the English top flight, he's certainly been hungry for goals, scoring nine times

in 30 appearances this season for the Cherries. But as we settle down, cross-legged on the mosque carpet, I wanted to know how fasting affects him. I wouldn't say that Ramadan is difficult. It's more mental because personally I'm used to doing it. It's more the lack of water. And what do you do to try and get around it? I think you get up early, is that correct? I wake up at 4.30am, I do my ablations and I've already got the food, which has been prepared by the club chef.

Then I go back to bed for an hour or so. Then after training, I say my prayers and I sleep for another hour. Everyone asks me, how are you feeling? Is it going well? They try to understand me and do not demand too much, even though I still try to do my sessions as usual." As the afternoon ticks by, more people arrive and do their ablutions before praying. They're beginning to look forward to the iftar, the meal which breaks their fast at sundown.

Farouk Talukta is the mosque secretary. Ramadan brings you closer to God. Also, you gain self-control. And also, you are aware of the unfortunate people. It brings the community closer. Yeah, we are very happy and we are very proud to have someone like Dango to come here as a part of our family."

For Dango, the feeling is mutual. You have the opportunity to pray with other people, to meet new people. It keeps us focused on religion. In his new home in England, faith has brought stability and routine, helping to turn Dango into a success on the pitch. Someone who, born with fans, also have faith in. That report by Ian Williams. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered you can send us an email. The address is of

course globalpodcastatbbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Nick Randall, the producer of A Shantel Heartle. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janet Jaleel. Until next time, goodbye.