Istanbul police used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators on a second night of disorder after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu – despite a four -day protest ban.
IMAMOGLU – Member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a key rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – was about to be appointed presidential candidate for the presidential elections in 2028 later this week.
On Wednesday, he was one of the 106 people detained for corruption and helping terrorist groups.
Since then, the authorities in Türkiye have arrested dozens of people for “provocative” publications on social networks.
Responding to the demonstrations, the president of Turkey, Erdogan, accused his political opponents in theater for having participated in a second night of demonstrations.
“They have lost the balance so much that they are in a state to attack our police, launch threats to judges, prosecutors,” he said.
Addressing a crowd of demonstrators outside the town hall of Istanbul, Ozgur Ozel, the chief of the Chp of Imamoglu, accused the government of having tried a “coup” and said that people had the right to protest.
The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, announced Thursday morning that the police had identified 261 “online account managers who would have published content” inciting the public with hatred and hostility “and” incentive to commit a crime “.
“Thirty-seven suspects were arrested and efforts continue to catch the other suspects,” he said, adding that more than 18.6 million positions appeared online on Wednesday arrests by 0600, local time (0300 GMT) on Thursday.
A message published on Imamoglu’s X account Thursday, called Turkey to “oppose this evil as a nation”, urging members of the judiciary and Erdogan’s party to fight injustice.
“These events have gone beyond our parties, political ideals. The process now concerns our people, namely your families,” said Imamoglu. “It’s time to raise our voices.”
The mayor of Istanbul may have spent his first night in detention, but the municipality is still controlled by his opposition party.
While the shuttles were on board trains in metro stations through the city, a recording of one of the public speeches of Imamoglu has flared speakers: “I promise you with my honor that I will win this fight.”
The university students walked in the streets by singing: “We are not afraid, we will not be silenced, we will not obey” – a common opposition slogan in Türkiye.
However, the number of demonstrators is still relatively low for a city with more than 16 million people. For the moment, it is unlikely that they will raise political pressure on Erdogan to release Imamoglu.
The arrests of imamoglu and others have followed a major national repression in recent months, targeting opposition politicians, journalists and personalities from the entertainment industry.
Some fear more to be questioned in the coming weeks as part of an intimidation campaign.
Opposition personalities say that arrests are politically motivated. But the Ministry of Justice criticized those who linked Erdogan on Wednesday to arrests and insisted on their judicial independence.
Imamoglu won a second term as mayor of Istanbul last year, when his CHP group swept the local elections and in Ankara.
It was the first time that Erdogan has come to power that his party has been defeated across the country during the polls.
The elections were also a personal blow for the president, who grew up and became mayor of Istanbul in power.
Erdogan has held his duties in the past 22 years, as Prime Minister and President of Turkey. Due to the limits of the mandate, he can no longer present himself to the elections in 2028 unless he changed the Constitution.
The selection of CHP presidential candidates, in which 1.5 million members will vote and Imamoglu is the only person who presents himself, should take place on Sunday.
The party also called on citizens to vote during a symbolic election, with space plans in Turkey districts so that people show their support for the detained mayor.
