Turkey Large demonstration in Istanbul for imprisoned mayor Imamoglu
Turkey's largest opposition party, the CHP, is holding a large demonstration in Istanbul to demand the release of its imprisoned presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu.
29.03.2025, 05:37
SDA
Thousands of people are expected to attend the planned mass protest in the Maltepe district at midday today. The demonstrators accuse the authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the judiciary to politically oust the deposed mayor of Istanbul, Imamoglu, in order to get rid of his most important rival.
Imamoglu himself wrote in a guest article for the "New York Times" that Turkey had turned into a "republic of fear" under Erdogan. But despite - or perhaps because of - the repression against government critics, people on the streets persistently put up resistance. In a message on Platform X, he thanked them and wrote: "I am on the side of our young people and admire their courage. They are about to make history."
The 53-year-old is currently being held in the well-known Marmara Prison in Silivri near Istanbul. The popular opposition politician was imprisoned on March 19 on corruption charges and later removed as mayor of the metropolis. At the same time, he is being investigated for allegedly supporting terrorism.
Imamoglu thanks demonstrators: "I admire their courage"
His arrest triggered a wave of protests throughout the country, which the police responded to with hundreds of arrests and sometimes brutal force against mostly peaceful demonstrators. Exact numbers of injured demonstrators are not published, but the police only reported more than 100 injured officers.
The leadership of the social democratic CHP wants to continue the protests until an early presidential election is called or Imamoglu is released. On Friday, demonstrations took place for the tenth evening in a row in several cities. Protests also took place in Istanbul - where several arrests were made once again.
Imamoglu's lawyer arrested
While demonstrations are banned in many places, the governor's office in Istanbul has now lifted the ban on protests. However, there are still arrests. On Friday, one of Imamoglu's lawyers was temporarily taken into custody for alleged money laundering. He was later released on condition of an exit ban, as reported by the state news agency Anadolu.
Journalists targeted
Journalists are increasingly among those arrested. On Thursday, a BBC reporter was arrested and deported from Turkey who, according to the British broadcaster, had been in the country for several days to report on the protests. The journalist's accounts show that not all officers within the police force are in line with Erdogan: during his seven hours at police headquarters, several officers told him that they did not agree with the authorities' actions. One even hugged him and wished him freedom, wrote reporter Mark Lowen on the BBC website.
Also on Thursday, an employee of the Swedish newspaper "Dagens ETC" was taken away for questioning after landing in Istanbul, according to the newspaper. It is still unclear what will happen to him. Two Turkish journalists were also arrested in connection with the protests, as the daily newspaper "Evrensel" reported on Friday.
