site.btaThousands Rally in Istanbul Demanding Release of Mayor Imamoglu

Tens of thousands of people gathered on Wednesday evening in the Sisli district of central Istanbul for another protest rally organized by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), marking 200 days since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was sent to Silivri Prison, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported on Thursday. The rally, held in the square in front of the Cevahir shopping centre, was the 60th consecutive event organized by the CHP since March 19 in various districts of Istanbul in support of Imamoglu and other detained mayors. Each rally has been held under the slogan “The People Defend their Will.”

Before the rally start, authorities suspended metro services in the area, while police cordoned off the square. Despite the restrictive measures and rain, tens of thousands of people carrying flags and banners gathered to call for the release of Imamoglu and other detained mayors, among them Sisli Mayor Resul Emrah Sahan. A protest march was also held along Sisli’s main boulevard.

A message from Imamoglu was read at the rally, declaring that the “one-man system” would be changed. Addressing the crowd, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel repeated his call for Imamoglu’s release and for early elections. He underlined that 200 days after the Istanbul Mayor’s arrest, prosecutors have still not filed an indictment. Ozel said the opposition had been resisting what he described as a “coup against the will of the people” for 200 days, adding that the movement would continue until justice prevails and that the conscience, hope and courage of citizens would ultimately triumph.

The opposition CHP Mayor of Istanbul was detained on March 19 on corruption charges and placed in pre-trial detention on March 23, when he was also temporarily removed from office. Several municipal officials from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were detained as part of the same investigation. The arrests sparked a wave of protests, the largest in Turkiye since 2013. Imamoglu is being investigated for allegedly establishing and leading a criminal organization, corruption, irregularities in public tenders and breaches of personal data protection. Considered the most serious political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu rejects all accusations against him as politically motivated.