Photo by Oziel Gómez
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered once more in Istanbul to express their solidarity with the city’s incarcerated mayor and to call for his release.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s primary opposition party, organized this protest, which is part of an ongoing series of demonstrations that have led to numerous arrests and increased pressure on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the nation’s long-standing leader.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul and a significant challenger to Erdogan, was taken into custody on March 19 on charges of corruption and terrorism, which many believe are politically driven. The government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and without political influence. His detention, followed by a formal arrest on March 23 related to the corruption allegations, ignited widespread protests across the country, despite bans on gatherings, police enforcement actions, and legal repercussions imposed by the authorities.
“They have detained hundreds of our children and thousands of our youth… arresting many of them,” stated CHP leader Ozgur Ozel to the crowd. “Their sole intention was to intimidate and instill fear, ensuring that they would never dare to protest again.”
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that nearly 1,900 individuals had been detained since March 19, while pro-government media reported on Friday that public prosecutors had sought sentences of up to three years for 74 of those arrested.
Police maintained a distance during Saturday’s rally, with no new arrests reported. Ozel urged for the immediate release of Imamoglu and other political prisoners, including Selahattin Demirtas, a former presidential candidate and the founder of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM).
Ozel emphasized that in the Turkey we aspire to, presidential candidates should not face imprisonment. Just hours after his formal arrest last Sunday, Mayor Imamoglu secured a symbolic victory in the primary to become the CHP’s candidate for the presidential election, which is currently set for 2028 but is expected to occur sooner. Ozel announced plans to start gathering signatures for Imamoglu’s release and to advocate for an early election.
Among the speakers at Saturday’s rally were Dilek Imamoglu, the wife of the imprisoned mayor, and Masur Yavas, the Mayor of Ankara and another prominent figure within the CHP.
