The detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, was a blow to Turkish democracy, protesters near Istanbul’s main police headquarters said yesterday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish authorities detained Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), on charges including corruption and aiding a terrorist group, prompting the protests and outcry from opposition groups and government critics.
More than 100 people gathered near the police headquarters, where Imamoglu was taken after being detained, chanting support for the mayor and slogans critical of the government.
Photo: Reuters
“They are conducting a coup right now against Imamoglu, who beat Erdogan four times at the ballot box since 2019 with the will of the nation,” said Bulent Gulten, a protester, referring to nationwide municipal elections in 2019 and last year when the CHP defeated Erdogan by sweeping most major cities.
“Today, the Turkish nation will once again unite against those who betray democracy and the national will,” Gulten said. “Ekrem Imamoglu is growing and gaining strength in the eyes of the people.”
Security forces barricaded the streets leading to the police headquarters, with riot police and water cannon trucks blocking the roads as the Istanbul governor’s office banned all public gatherings after Imamoglu’s detention.
“We came here to support the mayor. They arrested him unjustly. So we are here to support him,” said Murat Sapankaya, a municipal worker attending the protest.
Imamoglu, 54, has ramped up his criticism of Erdogan and his government in the past few months, prompting a flurry of legal moves and indictments against him.
On Wednesday he said that would not give up and would continue standing up against the pressure.
“We actually predicted that Imamoglu would soon go through such a detention process. We are all here until the decision is changed and justice is served,” said Yilmaz Arslan, another protester.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said that prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor and about 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun.
The arrest came during a search of Imamoglu’s home, but it was not immediately clear if police confiscated anything at the site.
The mayor’s wife, Dilek Imamoglu, told the private Now television station that police arrived at their residence before dawn and that the mayor was taken at about 7:30am.
A day earlier, a university in Istanbul invalidated Ekrem Imamoglu’s diploma, effectively disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race.
Having a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
Additional reporting by AP
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS