Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Turkey for a fourth night yesterday to protest against the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor.
Ekrem Imamoglu – a key challenger to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan – was detained over allegations of corruption and links to terror organisations on Wednesday.
He was among more than 100 people arrested on a range of charges which are widely seen as politically motivated.
Government officials reject this and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
His arrest came as he was due to be selected as a presidential candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) ahead of the 2028 elections.
As disquiet over the arrests continues, police used pepper spray during the clashes with protesters in front of Istanbul’s famous aqueduct.
What are the charges against the Istanbul mayor?
Imamoglu was questioned for around five hours on Saturday as part of a terror investigation into allegations of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.
A day earlier he was questioned for four hours over the corruption accusations.
He appeared in court on Saturday for the first time since his detention where he denied all the allegations against him.
Who is Ekrem Imamoglu?
The 54-year-old has long been seen as Erdogan’s most formidable rival.
Born in 1970 in Akcaabat, a seaside town on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, Imamoglu moved to Istanbul as a teenager.
He studied business and then worked in construction industry before entering politics aged 43.
It was during his time at university that Imamoglu says he ’embraced social democratic values during his time in university’.
A football enthusiast, lmamoglu is well known for his support of his local club, Trabzonspor.
He was first elected mayor of Istanbul’s middle-class Beylikduzu district for the CHP.
His profile took a massive boost when he won mayoral elections in Istanbul in 2019, defeating Erdogan’s AK party.
The electoral authorities annulled the vote and forced him out of office after the AK alleged irregularities. A re-run was ordered which he won.
Why are people protesting?
The arrest came just before the CHP’s – Turkey’s main opposition – was due to hold its primary election today.
Imamoglu had been expected to be chosen as its candidate for the 2028 presidential vote – which may be called earlier.
But his arrest, and the annulment of his Istanbul University degree over alleged irregularities, has put his candidacy in doubt.
This is because the Turkish constitution rules that presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.
The situation, and fears that Erdogan could change the constitution on term limits to allow himself to run again, have prompted millions to take to the street.
The government has tried to curtail this with bans on people gathering together. Hundreds have also been arrested for taking part in the demonstrations.
This has not stopped millions taking to the streets.
Last night chants of ‘rights, law, justice’ could be heard in Istanbul.
One young woman told the BBC she was protesting to defend democracy.
‘I’m here for justice, I’m here for liberty. We’re free people and Turkish people cannot accept this. This is against our behaviour and culture,’ she said.
Another woman, who had brought her 11-year-old son to the protests, said she wanted to bring him as she is worried about his future.
‘It’s getting harder to live in Turkey day by day, we can’t control our lives, we can’t choose who we want and there is no real justice here,’ she said.
Is it safe to travel to Istanbul?
Like with any country, the Foreign Office advises British nationals to always stay vigilant when abroad.
It also warns people that demonstrations occur occasionally in cities and ‘may become violent’ and police ‘have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protests’.
The Foreign Office advises people to ‘leave the area if one (a demonstration) develops’.
Metro.co.uk have contacted the Foreign Office for comment about its travel advice in light of the ongoing protests.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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