Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
In a significant show of solidarity, Turkey’s leading opposition party has mobilized a massive protest supporting Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul who is currently incarcerated. This demonstration has been described as one of the largest anti-government gatherings in the country in recent memory.
The protest, organized by Özgur Özel, the head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), attracted hundreds of thousands of participants, with claims that as many as 2.2 million people were present. The rally took place at a location away from Istanbul’s central districts.
Previously, Özel had announced an end to nightly demonstrations outside city hall, which had seen hundreds of thousands attend despite clashes with police forces. Security officials employed teargas, water cannons, and pepper spray against protestors, actions that Human Rights Watch condemned as “unwarranted and unlawful.” They noted that Turkey is currently experiencing one of its most significant sociopolitical crises in decades.
Since İmamoğlu’s arrest on corruption allegations, approximately 1,900 individuals have been detained in connection with the protests. Many arrests occurred in early morning raids, including the detention of 13 journalists. A number of photojournalists who had documented the protests were subsequently released, shortly before Turkey’s justice minister defended the nation’s press freedom policies during a media briefing.
On the same day, the BBC’s Mark Lowen was deported after covering the protests, with officials asserting he lacked the necessary press accreditation. Additionally, a Swedish journalist and two more Turkish journalists faced arrests, alongside İmamoğlu’s legal representative, who was later conditionally released.
Özel announced plans for weekly Saturday rallies across various cities in Turkey, along with ongoing Wednesday gatherings in Istanbul. He expressed hope that the pace of arrests would decrease following these events and voiced a willingness to endure a long prison sentence if that meant opposing the perceived coup against democracy.
İmamoğlu, in a letter from prison published by the New York Times, criticized world leaders, especially in Europe, for their lack of robust responses to his situation. He pointed out that while the U.S. expressed concerns about recent detentions and protests, many European leaders remained silent.
Having initially assumed office in 2019—after a contentious re-vote—İmamoğlu returned to the mayoralty with a significant re-election victory last year. He is widely recognized as a formidable contender against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in future elections. Coinciding with his imprisonment, a symbolic primary drew 15 million voters for the CHP to nominate him as their presidential candidate.
İmamoğlu contended that Erdoğan, realizing he cannot compete effectively through electoral means, has resorted to alternative strategies including his arrest on dubious charges. He suggests that these actions are indicative of Turkey’s worrying trend towards authoritarianism and the arbitrary exercise of power, warning that the nation may be approaching a critical point of no return in its democratic journey.
Source
www.theguardian.com