Thousands of Turks ramped up protests on Thursday despite a ban on street gatherings over what they called the undemocratic detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, as the opposition sought to pin the blame on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Even as police erected barricades and dozens of people were detained over social media posts, protesters gathered at a municipal headquarters and police station in Istanbul and at universities and public squares across the country.
Imamoglu, 54, Erdogan’s main political rival, was taken in on Wednesday facing charges of graft and aiding a terrorist group, a move that the opposition condemned as a “coup attempt” and that sparked an initial round of demonstrations and criticism from European leaders.
The move against the popular two-term mayor caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures that has been criticised as a politicised attempt to hurt their electoral prospects and silence dissent, charges the government denies.
In an interview, Ozgur Ozel, chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), including Imamoglu, said Erdogan feared facing the mayor in a vote and wanted to “take him out of the game” and cut his party’s ties with the city.
He said that any move barring Imamoglu from running for president in the next election would only strengthen the opposition’s support, adding the CHP will appoint him its candidate on Sunday at a scheduled vote.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), gestures during an interview in the aftermath of the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, Turkiye on March 20. — Reuters
“We believe Imamoglu will win. If his candidacy is blocked, we believe this will turn into much greater support,” Ozel told Reuters in his first interview with foreign media since the detention.
“This nation has never forgiven anyone trying to lift the legitimacy of the ballots,” he said next to a small room at the Istanbul municipality headquarters — with crowds gathering outside — where he intends to overnight until Imamoglu is released.
Warnings
Elections are not scheduled until 2028 but would need to come earlier if Erdogan, 71, who has run Turkiye for 22 years, wants to run again. Imamoglu leads the president in some polls.
The government rejects the criticism and says the judiciary is independent. It has warned against tying Erdogan or politics to Imamoglu’s arrest, after which it imposed a four-day ban on gatherings and restricted access to some social media to restrict communications.
Police blocked off roads and stationed trucks with water cannons near the police station where the mayor is held and other areas of Turkiye’s largest city.
Imamoglu on Thursday called on members of the judiciary and Erdogan’s ruling party to fight the injustice of his detention.
“These events have gone beyond our parties or political ideals,” he said on X. “It is time to raise our voices.”
