Istanbul, March 29 (IANS) Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Saturday organised a rally in Istanbul in support of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The detention of Imamoglu, the arch-rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a potential presidential election contender, sparked the country’s largest street demonstrations in more than a decade, according to media reports.
The protesters waved banners and posters of the mayor as they chanted slogans. CHP party leader Ozgur Ozel, speaking to an international media outlet Le Monde stated that he planned to hold rallies in every city across Turkey, with additional demonstrations in Istanbul on Wednesdays next week.
He later took to his social media and added that the nation will not remain silent and demanded the release of Imamoglu.
“On the eve of the holiday, I would like to thank all of our citizens who filled the squares for justice and to protect their will. This is just the beginning. From now on, we will be in the squares in a different city every weekend and in a district of Istanbul every Wednesday. This nation will not remain silent: Leave my candidate, bring the ballot box!”, Ozel posted on X on Saturday.
Turkish security forces have allegedly arrested over 1800 people, including several students, journalists, and lawyers, amid the ongoing protests.
Meanwhile, Turkish Lawyer Ferhat Guzel stated that at least 511 students were detained in Istanbul, many in early-morning raids. Of those, 275 have been jailed, adding that the actual figure is likely higher, as per media reports.
Earlier, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Imamoglu faced accusations of bribery, corruption, qualified fraud, illegally obtaining personal data for profit and tampering with a tender.
Recently, tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets across Turkey in largely peaceful demonstrations against the arrest.
Imamoglu’s detention has also drawn sharp condemnation from rights groups and international criticism.
–IANS
int/scor/dan
