Tens of thousands of protesters are on their way to Istanbul. The march is a response to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ongoing purges following last year's failed coup and was sparked when opposition party MP Enis Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The march kicked off three weeks ago in Turkey's capital Ankara and is headed to the prison in Istanbul where Berberoglu is held.

Leading the way is Kemal Kilicdaroglu (c), head of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), who has been likened to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Kilicdaroglu said there is no other way to denounce ongoing crackdowns and the deterioration of democratic institutions. "We feel like we're marching against a wall, and we're going to demolish it," he told DW.

"It's our obligation to form a coalition against the nation's slide towards fascism," said Tur Yildiz Bicer, CHP deputy for the city of Manisa. "After the referendum, we told ourselves 'No, it's not over' … Now we are seeing that even some AKP supporters are backing our march, and this shows people's minds are changing for the better." Some 20,000 to 40,000 people are out on the streets.

One of the protesters is Vesyel Kilic, 65, from Rize, who said he voted for conservative parties until his son was jailed following last year's coup attempt. "It's been 12 months and he still doesn't have an indictment," Kilic said. "I want justice and I noticed this leftist ideology is close to my own, so I came out to support the march." Protesters here are demanding "rights, law, justice."

While the organizers with CHP said one of their main objectives was to unite opponents of Erdogan's agenda, the task will likely prove difficult as relations between Kemalists and Kurdish groups remain tepid due to the political risks involved in being affiliated with armed Kurdish movements. Above, marchers are shown resting in Tavsancil, Turkey, before continuing to Istanbul.

Protesters were often heckled and insulted by passing vehicles and crowds of Erdogan supporters who had gathered along the highway. "The march is not a fight for justice, it only brings shame to the people who are walking in this heat," said Umut Kaveci, 26, a transportation worker not pictured above. "They are just causing traffic [jams] and no one needs that."

Police presence was heavy throughout the march to deter possible attacks and altercations between groups of contrasting ideologies. For the most part, the protest proceeded smoothly, aside from occasional confrontations like this one, where an officer restrained a teenager and told him, "I've been walking with this march since Ankara and I haven't been aggressive with anyone. Don't test me."

One of Kilicdaroglu's bodyguards gets his feet bandaged after another long day on the road. Blistered, swollen feet are common among marchers, as well as heat strokes. Temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent weeks and one protester died after suffering a heart attack during a prolonged uphill climb.

Regardless of the obstacles, demonstrators have followed Kilicdaroglu's lead through Turkey's rough terrain. The march covers up to 20 km (12 miles) per day. By night, protesters either return to their homes or camp out on CHP funded campsites where they are provided with food and rudimentary shelter. Above, an exhausted protester sleeps in a dining tent in Tavsancil, just east of Istanbul.

Husnu Sucu, a 58-year-old retiree, said he remained undeterred after walking more than 120 km in eight days and was camping each night with the protesters. "I am doing this for my grandchildren," Sucu said. "We cannot let the current government continue doing what it wants without doing something about it. It is too dangerous for the future of our country."

On Saturday, Turks observed the anniversary of last year’s failed coup, commemorating the nearly 250 people who lost their lives during the event and celebrating the perseverance of the nation. The largest crowds gathered at Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and in central Ankara, pictured above, where demonstrators marched to Turkey’s parliament to attend a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Among the crowds, were many who personally confronted the military on the night of the coup and had made personal sacrifices to defend the democratically elected government. In contrast, opponents of President Erdogan mostly stayed home, viewing the ongoing purges and Turkey’s extended state of emergency as affronts to the nation’s democratic principles that have undermined the rule of law.

A banner in Ankara reads “Our Democracy Watch Continues,” in reference to democracy watch rallies that took place nightly during the month following the coup attempt. One year on, some Erdogan supporters believe followers of Fethullah Gulen, who the government blames for organizing the putsch, are still working in state offices and may be plotting a second coup attempt.

Sahibe, 45, a store clerk not pictured above, spoke in favor of the ongoing purges, which have laid off more than 150,000 people over the last year and jailed about 50,000. She said innocent citizens had nothing to worry about and that she hopes “the state of emergency continues until we cleanse the roots Gulenists have made in our country.”

Yet not all attendees at Saturday’s rallies supported the year-old state of emergency. “I am anxious about the current situation because it gives soldiers the authority to do anything they want,” said Ahmed, who did not give a surname. “If there was a referendum on extending the state of emergency, I think the majority of people would vote against it.”

A pro-government demonstrator holds a flag featuring Erdogan with the words: “Stay strong, the people are with you.” Reflecting on Erdogan’s leadership, a taxi driver near the rally said, “May god protect us if this man is re-elected in 2019. He’ll bring sharia law to Turkey, which is no problem for men, but it will make life miserable for women.”

Those who didn’t support the rallies kept their distance, such as Seyma Urper, a human rights lawyer working in the southeastern city of Sirnak. "Since the coup attempt, most employees in my municipality were dismissed and the mayor was replaced with a state-appointed trustee," Urper said. "We have lost many rights and it’s getting harder to do my job."

Erol Kanmaz, not pictured above, said his son was shot in the leg on the night of the coup attempt and spent the subsequent six months in the hospital to undergo four surgeries. “I came out tonight to protect my homeland,” Kanmaz said. “Those Gulenist traitors tried to infiltrate our military, but now our country is stronger than ever.”

Sureyya Kalayci (left) displays a homemade t-shirt stating: “A call is enough. Call us and we’ll come. Tell us to die, we will die.” On 15 July 2016, Kalayci and his son Ahmet (right), blocked military vehicles in Ankara’s streets, helping to foil the attempted coup. “If it wasn’t for the people, the military would’ve taken over our country,” Kalayci said.

A demonstrator holds up a scarf reading: “We are the grandchildren of the Ottomans.” Many people in the crowds on Saturday night expressed support for President Erdogan’s policies and believed he was the only leader that could restore Turkey’s stance as an international power, which was tarnished with the fall of the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago.