What 400km Mean For Turkey's Political Scenario

On Sunday, around 1.5 million Turks gathered in Istanbul to demand justice.

"Law, rights, justice," they roared.

For almost three weeks, the opposition has walked more than 400km from Ankara to Istanbul. Leading the march was the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a 69-year-old politician who has been previously criticized for being "uninspiring".

As the March for Justice wended its way to Istanbul, it put President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a precarious position. After the purge of thousands of Turks from the public sector since the coup attempt last July, and the imprisonment of thousands of people – including more than 200 journalists and MPs – the initiative resonated.

This piece was published previous to the rally that took place on Sunday, but still makes some important points on the significance of it in a very simple yet clear way.

The march has proven that Turkey is becoming less stable under Erdoğan's authoritarianism and that those who took to the streets on 2013, during the Gezi Park protests, are still somewhere, fighting. 

The future is uncertain, but the people have started to feel hopeful again.