Ekrem Imamoglu was detained earlier this week on corruption and terrorism fees
A Turkish court docket formally arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday and ordered his pretrial detention on corruption fees. The information comes amid violent protests that swept the nation following Imamoglu’s detention earlier this week.
The mayor, a outstanding member of the opposition Republican Folks’s Occasion (CHP) who’s seen as a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday as a part of a sweeping probe into alleged extortion, bribery, and fraud. Prosecutors have additionally opened a separate case into his alleged ties to the Kurdistan Employees’ Occasion (PKK), which Ankara considers to be a terrorist group.
On Sunday, the court docket authorised the request of prosecutors to jail Imamoglu pending trial on the corruption fees. A call on the terrorism probe continues to be pending. The mayor confronted questioning in court docket on Saturday, the place he denied any wrongdoing and insisted that the fees towards him are politically motivated.
Imamoglu’s detention got here days earlier than he was resulting from be nominated because the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election. His detention sparked a few of the largest protests in additional than a decade, regardless of a ban on road gatherings in Istanbul, which has not too long ago been prolonged till March 26.
On Saturday, town noticed a fourth straight evening of protests, with 1000’s of individuals gathered exterior Istanbul’s municipal headquarters in Sarachane and on the Caglayan courthouse. Protesters waved flags and chanted slogans in assist of Imamoglu. Police responded with tear fuel and pepper spray to disperse the crowds.
Folks in Turkey are rising up in protest towards Erdogan…And Elon Musk is suspending accounts to assist defend him.Free speech absolutist, my arse. pic.twitter.com/3nNdpufeBl
— Artwork Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) March 22, 2025
Related scenes had been reported in Ankara and the western metropolis of Izmir, the place water cannons had been deployed, in accordance with native media studies. Inside Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated 323 folks had been detained throughout the unrest throughout the nation as of Sunday morning.
Erdogan condemned the protests, accusing opposition leaders of inciting “road terrorism” and warning that these actions is not going to be tolerated.
Imamoglu counseled the demonstrations in a submit on X, describing them as “a protection of democracy.” He additionally inspired supporters to vote in symbolic “solidarity packing containers” arrange throughout the nation by the CHP to permit people who find themselves not celebration members to specific their assist for the mayor. Regardless of the court docket’s ruling, the CHP earlier reaffirmed its intention to endorse Imamoglu because the celebration’s presidential candidate.
