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Turkish Court Delays Verdict in Case That Could Oust Opposition Party’s Leader 

Journalists wait outside the court in Ankara, where a hearing on corruption charges could upend the leadership of Türkiye's main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), in Ankara on September 15, 2025. (AFP)
Journalists wait outside the court in Ankara, where a hearing on corruption charges could upend the leadership of Türkiye's main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), in Ankara on September 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Turkish Court Delays Verdict in Case That Could Oust Opposition Party’s Leader 

Journalists wait outside the court in Ankara, where a hearing on corruption charges could upend the leadership of Türkiye's main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), in Ankara on September 15, 2025. (AFP)
Journalists wait outside the court in Ankara, where a hearing on corruption charges could upend the leadership of Türkiye's main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), in Ankara on September 15, 2025. (AFP)

A Turkish court on Monday delayed a verdict in a case seeking the annulment of an internal leadership election of the country’s main opposition party over alleged irregularities, a decision that could restore the party’s unpopular former leader and inflame political tensions.

The court in Ankara adjourned the trial over the legitimacy of the 38th congress of Republican People’s Party, or CHP, until Oct. 24. The congress in 2023 ousted long-time leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and elected current chairman Ozgur Ozel.

The case alleges electoral fraud including buying votes and procedural violations. The CHP has denied the accusations, describing the legal action as a politically motivated attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government to undermine the opposition through judicial pressure rather than democratic means.

Erdogan’s government maintains Türkiye's courts are impartial and free from political interference, insisting investigations into the party are solely focused on corruption.

Critics view the case as part of a broader crackdown on the CHP, which made significant gains in last year’s local elections. They argue the move is designed to weaken the opposition ahead of national elections scheduled for 2028, which could be held earlier.

Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year. Among those targeted is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who remains in pre-trial custody on corruption charges he denies. Imamoglu is widely seen as a potential challenger to Erdogan and his March arrest triggered widespread protests.

Earlier this month, a court removed the CHP’s elected provincial leadership in Istanbul and appointed an interim chairman to oversee the local branch. Police escorted the court-appointed official to the party’s Istanbul headquarters, using pepper spray to disperse party members and supporters who resisted his arrival.

During a rally in Ankara on Sunday, Ozel called the crackdown on the CHP a “judicial coup” and vowed to resist moves to undermine Türkiye's oldest political party.

If the congress is annulled, the court could appoint trustees to oversee the party or reinstate Kilicdaroglu as chairman, a move likely to deepen internal divisions.

Kilicdaroglu has signaled his willingness to return to leadership, but observers note he remains deeply unpopular among CHP supporters after a string of electoral defeats against Erdogan.

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World

Thousands March in US to Back Iranian Anti-government Protesters

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
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Thousands March in US to Back Iranian Anti-government Protesters

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Thousands in the United States staged large demonstrations Sunday denouncing the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in Iran.

Several thousand people marched in Los Angeles, home to the world's largest Iranian diaspora, while several hundred others gathered in New York, AFP journalist's in both cities reported.

US protesters could be seen carrying signs condemning a "New Holocaust," a "genocide in the making," and the "terror" of the Iranian government.

"My heart is heavy and my soul is crushed, I'm at loss for words to describe how angry I am," said Perry Faraz at the demonstration in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.

The 62-year-old payroll manager, who fled Iran in 2006, learned this week that one of her young cousins had been killed during the overseas rallies held in her native country.

"He wasn't even 10 years old, that's horrible," she said.

Demonstrations sparked by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests late December in what has been widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in recent years.

The rallies subsided after a government crackdown in Iran that rights groups have called a "massacre" carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within Iran’s health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.

The NGO warned that the true toll is likely to be far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll.

- Calls for US intervention -

"This mass murdering of the population is terribly upsetting," Ali Parvaneh, a 65-year-old lawyer protesting in LA said.

Like many protesters, Parvaneh carried a "Make Iran Great Again" sign and said he wanted US President Donald Trump to intervene by targeting the country's powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Some in the crowd in LA went as far as to call for the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has been in power for more than 25 years.

After having attacked Iranian nuclear sites in June, Trump sent mixed signals on possible US intervention this week.

The Republican first threatened to intervene if Iranian protesters were killed, but then said he was satisfied by Iranian assurances that demonstrators would not be executed.

"I really hope that Trump will go one step beyond just voicing support," Parvaneh said.

Many protesting in the Californian city chanted slogans in support of the US president and Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran who was deposed by the popular uprising in 1979.

- 'Don't need a puppet' -

Parvaneh echoed Pahlavi's popularity among some segments of Iran's exiled and expatriate population.

"Had the monarchy stayed in place, it would be much different and Iran would be in a much better situation," he said.

Pahlavi's support base is concentrated abroad while his political sway within Iran is limited.

The former Shah's son, who lives in exile near Washington, said this week he would be ready to return to Iran -- but it is unclear if most Iranians want this.

The Iranian opposition remains divided, and memories of the Shah's brutal repression of his left-wing opponents remain vivid.

Last week, a man caused minor injuries when he drove a truck into a demonstration held by Iranians in Los Angeles, carrying a sign that read: "No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don't Repeat 1953. No Mullah."

The sign was referring to the 1953 coup that saw Iran's government overthrown in a US- and UK-backed operation that had seen Pahlavi installed as the country's leader.

In Los Angeles's Westwood neighborhood, nicknamed "Tehrangeles," Roozbeh Farahanipour believes the diaspora must support Iranians without infringing on their "right to decide their own future."

"They don't need a puppet implanted by the West," said the 54-year-old restaurant owner.

Others in California also share that view.

"Trump is playing the Iranian people," said poet Karim Farsis, a resident of the San Francisco Bay area.

Farsis, an academic, stresses that it is US sanctions -- including those imposed by Trump -- and the Republican's ripping up of a nuclear deal that have contributed in large part to the suffering of the Iranian people.

She also criticized the almost complete ban on Iranians entering the US since June.

"We're living in a really twisted moment," she said. "Trump is saying to Iranians: 'Keep protesting, take over your institutions.'

"But if they find themselves in danger, they can't even find refuge in the United States."

World

Iran President Says Any Attack on Supreme Leader Would Be Declaration of War

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
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Iran President Says Any Attack on Supreme Leader Would Be Declaration of War

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that any attack on the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei would mean a declaration of war.

"An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian said in a post on X in an apparent response to US President Donald Trump saying it was time to look for a new leader in Iran.

World

Quake Hits Northeast Sicily, No Damage Reported

A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Quake Hits Northeast Sicily, No Damage Reported

A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
A man feeds seagulls in Syracuse, Sicily, southern Italy on January 10, 2026. (AFP)

A light earthquake hit the northeastern corner of Sicily on Sunday, authorities said, but no damage was immediately reported.

The quake registering 4.0 on the Richter and Moment Magnitude scales was centered two kilometers (just over a mile) from Militello Rosmarino in the northeastern province of Messina, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).

It occurred at 2:54 pm local time (1354 GMT) and had a depth of eight kilometers, INGV said.

Il Mattino newspaper said the earthquake was felt throughout the Messina area but no damage to people or buildings had been reported.

The town of approximately 1,200 inhabitants is located just north of the Nebrodi park, Sicily's largest protected area.

Tremors occur frequently in the northeast of Sicily, with a 2.5 magnitude quake occurring at Piraino, to the east, on Saturday.