Turkish prosecutors asked a court to imprison the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, and four of his aid while waiting for terrorism and accusations of corruption, said the Imamoglu office, while thousands of people protest in the country what he calls his non -democratic detention.
Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and a potential challenger by President Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday for accusations such as Graffing and helping a terrorist group.
He denied the accusations, calling them “accusations and unimaginable slanders”. The court should rule on the detention of Imamoglu early Sunday.
If Imamoglu is arrested for terrorism, this would allow the government to appoint an administrator of the municipality, according to Turkish law.
On Saturday, thousands of people gathered outside the building of the municipality of Istanbul and the main courthouse, with hundreds of police stationed in two places using tear gas and spray pellets with pepper to disperse demonstrators, while the crowd had launched firecrackers and other objects.
The demonstrators also clashed with the police in the western coastal province of Izmir and the capital Ankara for a third consecutive night, with the police pulling water cannons on the crowd.
Turkish authorities owned 3,23 people in demonstrations against the investigation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Sunday.
“No attempt to harm public order will be authorized,” the minister said in a statement.
Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) (CHP), the main opposition, condemned detention as politically motivated and urged supporters to demonstrate legally.
The government denies any influence on the issue and says that the judiciary is independent.
Imamoglu, 54, who directs Erdogan in certain opinion polls, was to be appointed candidate for the official CHP presidential election in a few days.
Defining a temporary ban on demonstrations, hundreds went down to the streets to support the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu and protest against the Erdogan government.
The next elections are set for 2028, but Erdogan has reached its limit of two terms as president after being previously as Prime Minister. If he wishes to run again, he must call a first election or change the constitution.
On Saturday, the president, who has run the country for over 22 years, accused the CHP of trying to “provoke our nation”, adding that they would not tolerate vandalism.
