Despite a prohibition on public demonstrations, thousands of Turkish citizens escalated their protests on Thursday. They were protesting against the alleged undemocratic arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, which has drawn criticism from the opposition who aim to hold President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responsible.
Protests erupted in cities like Ankara, İzmir, and Istanbul, even spreading to university grounds, where clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement were reported. Following this, numerous supporters gathered at an office building of the municipality in Istanbul. This came about as city officials put up barriers sealing off multiple thoroughfares throughout the nation.
Imamoglu, who is 54 years old, was arrested on Wednesday. He is the primary opponent of Erdogan in politics. accused of corruption and assisting a terrorist organization, which led the opposition to denounce the action as a "coup attempt." This resulted in early protests and condemnation from European officials.
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The action taken against the well-liked two-term mayor concludes a prolonged legal effort targeting opposition members, which has been denounced as an orchestrated move to undermine their chances in elections and stifle dissent. The government rejects these accusations.
Erdogan, in his initial remarks about the arrest, brushed aside criticisms from the opposition as mere "theater" and "catchphrases," stating that the nation did not have the luxury for such distractions.
In an interview, Ozgur Ozel, who leads the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which comprises Imamoglu, stated that Erdogan was apprehensive about confronting the mayor at the polls and aimed to “remove him from contention” as well as sever the connection between his party and the municipality.
He stated that excluding Imamoglu from participating as a presidential candidate in upcoming elections would bolster the opposition's backing. Additionally, he mentioned that the CHP plans to designate Imamoglu as their nominee during a planned voting session set for this Sunday.
"Implicitly, we think Imamoglu will emerge victorious. Should his candidature be halted, we anticipate this would result in significantly stronger backing," Ozel stated in an interview with Reuters, marking his debut discussion with international press following his detainment.
"The country has never pardoned those attempting to validate the election results," he stated while standing beside a modest chamber at the Istanbul municipal building — which had attracted sizable crowds gathered outside — indicating his plan to stay there for the night until Imamoglu is freed.
The elections aren’t set till 2028, but they might occur sooner if Erdogan, at 71 years old, continues his leadership. Turkey For 22 years, he wishes to run again. Imamoglu tops the president in certain polls.
Speaking at a dinner for ex-party members in Ankara, Erdogan stated that the opposition aims to hide its errors. He emphasized that these problems "do not belong to the nation but are merely concerns of a few opportunistic individuals within their leadership," as reported by him.
The government has cautioned against linking Erdogan or politics to Imamoglu's detention, asserting that the judicial system operates independently in response to claims that these arrests are politically driven.
Officials enforced a four-day restriction on public assemblies and limited access to certain social media platforms to control information flow. Dozens were arrested for postings deemed provoking by the authorities.
Police used water cannons to disperse crowds in the capital Ankara and western city of Izmir on Thursday evening. The government said six police officers were injured during demonstrations in Istanbul, the country's largest city.
From within the police station where he was being detained, Imamoglu previously urged members of the judicial system and Erdoğan’s governing party to combat the unfairness of his incarceration.
These occurrences have transcended our party affiliations or political beliefs," he stated on social media. "Now is the moment to amplify our voices.
Civil disobedience has significantly decreased in Turkey following the countrywide Gezi Park protests against Erdogan's administration in 2013, leading to a harsh governmental response.
However, demonstrators have been shouting anti-government chants over the past two days and, in Istanbul, they have displayed banners featuring both Imamoglu and Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, along with Turkish flags.
He quickly had our mayor arrested, even though he was chosen through our ballots," stated Ali Izar, an opponent from downtown Istanbul. "This does not seem like a democratic action to me, and I strongly disapprove of it.
The arrest led to a decline and subsequent rebound of the lira on Wednesday. By Thursday, it was trading at approximately 38 to the dollar, up from around 36.67 before the incident.
Concerns regarding the weakening of legal norms and apprehensions about a deceleration in interest rate reductions led to a significant decline in banking stocks on the Istanbul stock exchange. In response, the central bank increased its overnight lending rate.
On Thursday, authorities took control of a construction firm jointly owned by Imamoglu and placed it under judicial management, as stated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office and financial crime investigation reports.
The majority of the 105 individuals detained alongside Imamoglu were employees of the municipality.
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