Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday In the Turkish city of Istanbul in a protest against the detainment of the mayor Ekrem Imamogl. The biggest demonstrations that Turkey has experienced over a decade continues, Reuters, from which TASR drew, wrote.
Imamogl, who is the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on March 19 in his house on charges of corruption and connection to the terrorist group. He is currently in custody in Istanbul prison Marmara with a high degree of protection. Protests, which subsequently broke out and rapidly spread across the country, triggered a repressive reaction of the government, which sharply condemned groups to protect rights and which earned criticism from abroad.
A mass demonstration on Saturday on the Asian side of Istanbul was called by the Turkish opposition. At the Assembly of “Freedom for Imamogl”, tens of thousands of people waved Turkish flags and banners. “If justice is silent, the people will speak,” he said to one of the banners that hovered in the crowd.
So far, the protests have been predominantly peaceful. However, Interior Minister Ali Yerkikaya announced on Thursday that since they were started Almost 1900 people have detained, with 260 of which the courts imprisoned until court proceedings.
Turkish authorities in addition According to the AFP, they also intervened against the media, and in five days they detained 13 Turkish journalists, a Swedish reporter who arrived in Istanbul to inform about the riots and deported the BBC station rapporteur. According to unconfirmed information, Swede accused the membership of the terrorist organization and insult to the President.
Imamoglu refuses all charges. After taking into custody he was “temporarily” suspended from the position of Mayor of IstanbulBut his opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) nominated him for his presidential election candidate that should be held in 2028.
CHP, other opposition parties, human rights groups and Western countries according to Reuters They call the case against Imamogl as a politicized effort to destroy the possible election challenge for Erdogan. The government denies any influence on the judicial authorities and claims that the courts in the country are independent. Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish policy for more than two decades, described nationwide protests as “theater” and warned against legal consequences. He also accused CHP of “provoking” the Turks.
CHP chairman Özgür Özel in an interview with Le Monde said that He plans to make a weekly matter in cities all over Turkey from Saturday’s demonstrations. According to him, other gatherings will be held every Wednesday in Istanbul.
“We believe that arrests will slow down from now on,” pHe wove for a French diary, saying he was “ready to take the risk of spending eight to ten years in prison if necessary”. “Because if we do not stop this coup attempt, it will mean the end of polling stations,” he warned.
