The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) concluded its nightly rallies outside the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality building late yesterday, a week after protests began in response to Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel addressed the crowd in Saraçhane Square, as he has each evening since the protests started. He said the demonstrations had prevented the government from installing a trustee in the city administration following İmamoğlu’s arrest.
“Tomorrow, thanks to you, an election will be held in this building,” Özel told the crowd. “Those who sent Mayor Ekrem to prison wanted to appoint a trustee here. If that didn’t happen, if there’s no trustee here, it’s because of you. You thwarted a coup.”
İmamoğlu was detained on Mar 19 on both terrorism and corruption-related allegations. A court later ruled to arrest him only on corruption charges. As a result, the mayor was not direclty replaced by the government but an election will be held within the city council. The vote is scheduled for today. With a CHP majority in the council, the party is expected to retain control of the municipality.
Özel repeated his earlier call for a boycott of major conglomerates that own mainstream media outlets, including their affiliated companies in sectors such as electronics, automotive, and retail.
He also maintained that the corruption case against İmamoğlu relies on witness statements rather than concrete evidence, calling it a “plot.” Addressing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Özel said, “If you have the courage, air the prosecutor’s questions and Ekrem’s answers on TRT.”
Özel announced a major rally will be held in İstanbul’s Maltepe Square on the Asian side of the city at 12 pm on Mar 29.
He ended his speech by warning police not to intervene in the gathering and added, “If there is an intervention tonight, there will be one million people here tomorrow.” The night ended without incident, unlike previous evenings that saw police use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that 1,418 people had been detained across the country between Mar 19 and Mar 25 in connection with the protests. Detainees include protesters, journalists covering the events, and individuals detained over social media posts related to the demonstrations.
Background
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and dozens of others, most of them municipal officials, were detained in police raids on the morning of Mar 19. The operation came just days before İmamoğlu was expected to be declared the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate in the party’s presidential primary scheduled for Mar 23.
Authorities have launched two separate investigations involving a total of 106 suspects. One centers on terrorism-related charges, while the other involves alleged corruption.
The terrorism probe focuses on the CHP’s cooperation with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party during last year’s local elections. The two parties collaborated at the district level, with DEM refraining from fielding candidates in some areas to support the CHP, while in other districts, DEM members ran on CHP lists and were elected to municipal councils. This strategy, dubbed the “urban consensus,” helped the CHP win 26 out of İstanbul’s 39 district municipalities and secure a majority in the metropolitan council.
Prosecutors allege that this alliance was orchestrated by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), citing public statements by PKK leaders during the campaign urging cooperation with the opposition. The first arrest linked to the investigation was Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, a Kurdish academic, who was jailed and removed from office in January. Ten more officials from six district municipalities were arrested in February. The investigation has since expanded to include İmamoğlu.
The corruption investigation, which affects 100 of the 106 suspects, involves allegations of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, and bid rigging in municipal subsidiaries. İmamoğlu is accused of leading a criminal organization for profit.
The CHP has described the operation as a "coup" against an elected mayor and called for public demonstrations. Saraçhane Square, in front of the metropolitan municipality building, has become the focal point of protests, where CHP leader Özgür Özel addresses large crowds each evening.
University students have also staged protests in various cities. While most gatherings have remained peaceful, clashes between demonstrators and police have led to daily detentions. Dozens more have been detained in home raids linked to the protests.
Authorities imposed internet restrictions on the morning of İmamoğlu’s detention, severely slowing access to major social media and messaging platforms. The bandwidth throttling, which rendered many apps nearly unusable, lasted for around 42 hours.
Additionally, the Interior Ministry has detained numerous individuals over protest-related posts on social media. Court orders have blocked access to various leftist and student group accounts.
On Mar 23, İmamoğlu was remanded in custody on corruption-related charges while the court ruled an arrest for terrorism-related charges was not necessary. He was also suspended from his position and will be replaced through an internal election within the city council.
A total of 51 people were remanded in custody, 48 on accusations related to financial misconduct and three to terrorism. Forty-eight other suspects were released on judicial control measures.
On the same day, the CHP held its previously scheduled primary, calling for nt only the party members but the entire public to vote for İmamoğlu, who was the sole candidate in the primary. The party later claimed that more than 15 million people cast their votes across the country, showing support for İmamoğlu.
(VK)
