Istanbul – Hundreds of thousands of protesters again congregated in Istanbul on Saturday on how their support for the mayor imprisoned from the city and demands their release.
The main opposition party of Türkiye, the Republican Popular Party (CHP) organized the demonstration, the last of a series of protests that resulted In hundreds of arrests And they have tried pressure on the country’s leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival of Erdogan, was arrested on March 19 for positions of corruption and terrorism that many saw as politically motivated. The Government insists that the Judiciary is independent and is free of political interference.
His arrest, and later formal arrest for corruption charges on March 23, caused protests nationwide Despite the prohibitions of the Assembly, police repressions and legal prosecution by the authorities.
“They have arrested hundreds of our children, thousands of our young people … They arrested hundreds of them,” said ChP leader Ozgur Ozel, protesters. “They only had one objective in mind: to intimidate them, terrorize them, make sure they never leave again.”
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday that almost 1,900 people had been arrested since March 19, and the pro -government media reported Friday that public prosecutors He had requested up to three years in prison for 74 of the detainees.
Police maintained their distance in Saturday demonstration without new arrests. Ozel asked for Immediate release of Imamoglu, as well as for other political prisoners, including Selahattin Demirtas, a former presidential candidate and founder of the Equality and Democracy Party of the Pro-Kurdos, or dem. “In Türkiye, we imagine that presidential candidates will not be imprisoned,” Ozel added. Last Sunday, hours after being formally arrested, Mayor Imamoglu won a symbolic primary to be the CHP candidate in a presidential election currently scheduled by 2028, but which probably takes place before. Ozel said they would begin to collect signatures for the release of Imamoglu and also to demand an early choice.
Other speakers in the Saturday demonstration included Dilek Imamoglu, the wife of the jailed mayor, as well as the mayor of Ankara, Masur Yavas, another high -profile ChP figure.
