site.btaTurkish Opposition Holds Another Protest Rally in Support of Arrested Opposition Mayors

On Wednesday evening, the Turkish opposition held its 43rd protest in support of arrested opposition mayors in the country and demanding early elections. It took place in the Istanbul district of Tuzla on the shores of the Sea of Marmara under the slogan “The People Defend Their Will”.

The leader of the main opposition force, the Republican People's Party, Ozgur Ozel, addressed the crowd, accusing some prosecutors and lawyers of abusing their professions and coercing people into giving false testimony in the corruption trial against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Ozel argued that they have created a “stock market for fabricating testimony” in the cases against the arrested mayors. “We have evidence, with data and names of specific individuals, which we will present to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors and insist that it be made public. We are talking about millions of dollars handed out as bribes to individuals to testify against our mayors, who are in prison," he said, quoted by the Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

Tuzla is the outermost district on the coast of the Sea of Marmara in the Asian part of Istanbul, where Turkiye's largest shipyards are located. In the last local elections, the municipality was won by the opposition Republican People's Party for the first time since 1992.

The rally is the 43rd in a row since March 19, when the opposition began holding demonstrations in support of the arrested and dismissed mayors from the opposition.

Participants carried placards reading “We Want Justice,” “Freedom for the Mayors,” “Ekrem Imamoglu for President,” and “All or None,” according to footage broadcast by opposition television station Sozcu, which is covering the protest live.

A message was read by the dismissed mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested on corruption charges and is being held in a prison in Silivri near Istanbul.

Stressing that he has not yet been presented with an indictment, Imamoglu concluded that despite the several months that have passed since his arrest, investigators have failed to find any incriminating evidence.

In his speech, Ozel also highlighted the scandal involving the production of fake diplomas and driver's licenses that has rocked the country in recent days. Turkish authorities uncovered an organized crime group that produced fake diplomas and driver's licenses through illegal access to state electronic systems. Thirty-seven people have been detained and 150 others have been placed under other measures to ensure their appearance in court.

"Ekrem Imamoglu's real diploma was revoked and he was arrested. Now we see that there are thousands of holders of fake diplomas that were obtained during the Justice and Development Party regime by incompetent party men. We will not allow this disgrace to remain uncovered," Ozel said, calling on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call early elections.

The opposition will hold its next rally on Sunday in the city of Tokat in Turkiye's Black Sea region, the Anka news agency reported.