At least 1.133 personas —It’s most young people and university students– They have been detained in the wave of protests throughout Türkiye Started on Wednesday of last week, when, at dawn, the mayor of Istanbul was arrested, Ecrem immamogl.
Imamoglu, mayor of the Great Turkish Metropolis since 2019, has been seen by the majority of citizens of the country and by all polls as the great rival of the president Recep Tayyip Erdoganin power since 2001. In fact, according to the vast majority of surveys, Imamoglu would beat Erdogan in hypothetical future presidential elections.
This Sunday, the main opposition formation, the People’s Republican Party (CHPin its acronym in Turk) he made a popular plebiscite to choose – symbolically, since he is imprisoned under a preventive imprisonment regime waiting for trial – to Imamoglu as a candidate. According to the CHP, almost 15 million Turks They voted to show their support for the former mayor of Istanbul, to which justice accuses of “leading a corrupt criminal organization“And” have links with a Terrorist group“, In reference to the Kurdoturca guerrillas of the PKK.
“In the prohibited events that occurred between March 19 and 23, we have arrested 1,133 suspects. Among the detainees we have determined that there are members of 12 different terrorist groups“He said, without specifying, the Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikayathis Monday. “From here I send you a notice: that nobody uses our young people and our people as a shield for their own political ambitions. No one can pay the high price of this, both politically and legally, “the minister continued.
Press attacks
During the early hours of this Monday, the Turkish police arrested 10 journalists in a police operation in their homes. All of them had covered for local media – less, a photojournalist from the French news agency AFP– The daily demonstrations that have taken place in Türkiye since Wednesday.
The last one, this Sunday night, was the most massive – with more than one million attendeesaccording to the CHP— and the most violent. Police constantly blocked and attacked protesters with violent charges y pepper gas boats Meanwhile, in some cases, protesters only danced and sang before the agents.
At several points, however, the protesters did launch Water bottles, firecrackers and fireworks against the police cordon. Several Turkish journalists, on social networks, denounced this Sunday night have been attacked by the police despite carrying accreditations and press symbols.
“What are you doing here? You don’t see that This manifestation is prohibited! Don’t you realize? This is prohibited! Marchae! “, A policeman shouted, this Sunday night, a young woman who could not open her eyes after being sprayed with spray pepper. The Government of Istanbul, from the same day of the arrest of Imamogl, decreed that every demonstration and protest are prohibited in the great metropolis during the next few days.
