By Azra Ceylan
Thrice-elected İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on corruption charges Sunday, March 23. His initial detention last week sparked large-scale protests across Turkey and more are expected following the court decision.
In İstanbul, riot police clashed with demonstrators Saturday night at the city’s municipality building in Saraçhane and outside the Çağlayan courthouse, where İmamoğlu and more than 90 associates appeared before prosecutors.
“We will flood the streets because it has become a necessity for us all. It’s a necessity for our rights, for the law, for justice. After all, we know we are right, that’s why we are here,” said 43-year-old Aslı at the March 22 protests in İstanbul.
Protesters have disregarded an official ban on public gatherings, which has been in place since Wednesday and was extended to March 27 with controls on entries and exits from İstanbul. On Friday and Saturday, more than 650 demonstrators were detained, according to the Interior Ministry.
Fayn
‘Attempt to eliminate a leading opposition figure’
The decision came as citizens cast ballots to designate İmamoğlu as the main opposition presidential candidate in the Republican People’s Party (CHP) primary elections Sunday.
Turkey’s next elections are set for 2028 (or earlier) and İmamoğlu’s broad appeal across the political spectrum gives him a chance to defeat incumbent Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
İmamoğlu’s arrest is seen as an attempt to weaken or possibly eliminate a leading opposition figure through a politicized judicial system.
The move has raised concerns about Turkey’s democratic standing, with international monitors saying Ankara has taken a “step toward full-fledged autocracy.”
“If another candidate emerges as an opponent [to Erdoğan], we will vote for them. It doesn’t even matter who it is,” said Bartu, a 23-year-old Beykent University student, during protests on March 22.
Speaking Saturday evening, Erdoğan said the CHP “is not a party that carries the demands of its voters to parliament but has become an apparatus that launders a handful of municipality robbers who are blinded by money.”
İmamoğlu denies all charges
While in custody, İmamoğlu has given nearly 20 hours of testimony against charges of corruption and aiding the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara deems a terrorist organization.
Separate terror-related charges against İmamoğlu are based on the İstanbul Municipality’s local election coalition with the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The mayor denied all charges of corruption and said that the terrorism charges were an attempt at discrediting him.
"I feel the strength of millions behind me and cannot even put into words the courage it gives me,” İmamoğlu said in a statement Saturday. “No matter what comes my way, I will fight for justice and truth through lawful means for the rest of my life."
