Shortly after Imamoglus, on Wednesday last week, the Erdogan government introduced a prohibition on protest and limited internet access in an attempt to silence the upset opposition.
Despite the ban, the country has been shaken by the daily protests since the arrest.
On Sunday, it was clear that Imamoglu becomes the opposition’s candidate for the next presidential election.
– If you now go towards imprisonment the main opposition’s foremost presidential candidate, then you are moving rather in the direction of a purely dictatorship, says Paul Levin, director of the Institute for Turkey Studies at Stockholm University to SVT News.
Security Policy situation plays a role
Erdogan’s actions have been criticized by several political big players in Europe. But the reactions have been careful and no concrete measures have been undertaken to mark against the country.
Something that Paul Levin believes depends on the continent’s uncertain security policy situation.
– In this situation, many European states are keen that a country such as Turkey, which has NATO’s second largest military power, that they do not alienate them unnecessarily. And that can be said to be a kind of holding hook that Turkey has and Erdogan probably expects and that protects him from tough measures from the EU, says Levin.
Strong negotiating cards
But even if Erdogan’s European colleagues would raise the tone against Turkey, according to Levin, it is not certain that Erdogan would listen.
– Erdogan is aware that he has a pretty good negotiation card internationally and this protects him from tougher sanctions from the EU and other actors, he says.
Levin emphasizes that Turkey’s role during the refugee wave in 2015, which in turn has led to countries like Germany now being cautious in criticizing the country.
– In many different issues, it has been realized that Turkey is an important neighboring country that you have to respect and where you have limited opportunities to actually influence domestic policy, he says.