The wave of protests for the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu does not stop in Türkiye, considered the main and stronger opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. From the beginning of the events five days ago, 1,133 people have been arrested throughout the country, said the Minister of the Interior Alli Yerlikaya.
Arrest and protests
The arrest that took place last Wednesday (19 March) of Imamoglu sparked the largest square protests in the nation in over a decade, since the time of Gezi’s protests, which began in Piazza Taksim in 2013. Yesterday (Sunday 23 March), a court ordered the prison for the first citizen, who was also suspended from the office, waiting for a trial for accusations of corruption that he denies.
In addition to Imamoglu, about fifty people were also arrested on charges of “corruption” and “terrorism”, according to the Turkish press. Among these, two presidents of the Municipality of Istanbul, also members of the CHP. One of them, accused of “terrorism”, was replaced by an administrator appointed by the state. Among the prisoners there are also nine journalists who have covered the events, according to what was declared by the union of the journalists of Türkiye. Among them there would also be a photographer of the France Presse agency (AFP).
Despite the assessment prohibitions in many cities, the anti -government manifestations, mostly peaceful, have continued every day. Minister Yerlikaya has declared that so far 123 police officers have been injured during protests, adding that the government would not allow “road terror”. Erdogan declared last week that the government would not have accepted “the disturbance of public order”, denying that the investigations have political reasons and affirming that the courts are independent.
Omer Celik, spokesman for the party of justice and development (Akp) of Erdogan, argued that “democratic protest is a fundamental right”, adding, however, that “the language used by the CHP is not the language of democratic protest”.
Imamoglu: “I will win the war”
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) of IMAMOGLU, the main opposition party, launched an appeal to the protests against the decision of the Court of arresting the mayor, defined as politicized and anti -democratic. Imamoglu denied the accusations that were addressed to him by calling them “unimaginable and slander” and also invited to protest throughout the nation.
“I am here. I wear a white shirt and you will not be able to get it dirty. My wrist is strong and you will not be able to twist it. I will not back away from an centimeter. I will win this war,” he said in a message sent by his lawyers.
The 54 -year -old Imamoglu was imprisoned pending trial while his party held the primary elections to appoint his candidate for the presidential elections, scheduled in 2028. The primaries, who had only one option for the voters and were therefore a sort of investiture, were held in parallel with the protests of the square, with about 15 million votes expressed in support of the mayor.
Erdogan has boiled the primaries as “a theatrical show”. “They held an election where the votes were publicly given but they were counted secretly,” said the Turkish leader. “When the curtain falls, their show will end,” added Erdogan returning to define the “street terrorists” demonstrators.
“Stop instigating our compatriots and disturbing public order. If you have courage, respond to the accusations of corruption moved towards you,” Erdogan said in a television discourse, claiming that “it is clear that the main opposition cannot be entrusted with the responsibility to manage the state”.
Criticism from Europe
Of “serious attack on democracy”, French diplomacy spoke, while Germany, which hosts the largest Turkish community abroad, condemned the incarceration and suspension from the office of mayor as “totally unacceptable”, considering it a “bad sign for democracy”.
The European Commission also urged Turkey to “respect democratic values” after the imprisonment of Imamoglu. “We want Turkey to remain anchored to Europe, but this requires a clear commitment to respect the standards and democratic practices,” said the spokesman Guillaume Mercier.
