Protests in support of detained Istanbul mayor

A determined opponent against Erdogan, Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was taken by the police, along with several of his collaborators and party members. People try to protest, but the capital is on lockdown.

As a good autocrat (to put it politely), Recep Tayyip Erdogan doesn't like dissent. One of his targets is the mayor of the capital Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition candidate for the 2028 presidential elections. The political conflict reached a new peak this Wednesday, March 19th with the arrest of the mayor. In the morning, hundreds of police officers surrounded his home before taking him away. Authorities justify the arrest in connection to a corruption and extortion case. Mr. Imamoglu has been officially charged along with 6 other people.

Dethronement?

The prosecutor's statement, however, presents him as the "head of a criminal organisation for profit," meaning his opposition party CHP. There's also mention of "support for a terrorist organisation," namely the Kurdish party PKK – banned in Turkey and eternally the Turkish government's scapegoat to try to neutralise an opponent. The episode in question is part of a long series of intimidations and summonses. This Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Istanbul University had, for instance, annulled his degree to try and prevent him from standing as a candidate in the elections. Given the accusations, Istanbul's mayor risks being dethroned and replaced by an administrator appointed by the Turkish "justice."

Protests

In the streets of Istanbul, police and anti-riot forces are present in order to deter any will to demonstrate. The Taksim Square metro station is currently inaccessible and surrounded by barriers. However, this hasn't stopped courageous Istanbulites and representatives of NGOs and opposition parties from taking to the streets to show their support for their mayor and to demand the government's resignation, including Erdogan's.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source: RFI & RTBF with AFP – Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Evrim Aydin)