The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, attended on Saturday before the authorities were questioned about accusations related to terrorism and corruption.
Hundreds of supporters of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, met on Saturday at the door of a court, where he was questioned about accusations of corruption and terrorist connections.
Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday, after a rusga dawn to his residence. Its arrest increased generalized protests throughout Türkiye.
Imamoglu should officially become the presidential candidate of the largest opposition party, the People’s Republican Party (CHP), on Sunday, in the primary of the party.
Many consider their detention politically motivated and accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to try to eliminate his greatest political rival of the next presidential race, scheduled for 2028. The authorities reject the accusation and affirm that the courts of Turkey are free and work independently of the government.
Police interrogated Imamoglu for approximately five hours on Saturday, as part of an investigation into the accusations of helping the Curdistan workers party, or PKK, according to the Turkish media.
He was then transferred to a court to be interrogated by prosecutors, along with another 90 people who were also arrested with him.
A day before, the mayor of Istanbul was also questioned for several hours for the corruption positions that he is attacked, and prosecutors accused Imamoglu of taking advantage of their position for financial advantages. Imamoglu rejected all accusations during the two interrogations.
The authorities prevented access to the Court using barricades on local roads and the closure of nearby Metro stations. Hundreds of police and more than a dozen trucks with water cannons stood out to protect the surroundings, but hundreds of protesters managed to reach the building, where they protested abroad, shouting “rights, laws, justice!”
Protesters in confrontation with the police
On Saturday, during the fourth day of demonstrations after the arrest of Imamogl, confrontations between the police and the protesters in Istanbul were recorded.
Police used pepper gas and tear gas to disperse the crowd and retire to hundreds of protesters throwing rockets, stones and other objects to the agents.
The Office of the Governor of Istanbul announced that it was going to extend the prohibition of demonstrations before March 26 and imposed restrictions on the entrance and exit of vehicles that transport people “who probably participate in illegal activities”; Protests
Erdogan accuses the opposition of inciting chaos
Erdogan spoke during the Ifar, the food that is eaten to break the fasting during the Sacred Muslim month of Ramadão, against the protests that have been held throughout the country in the last four days to demand the release of Imamoglu.
The Turkish president accused the opposition of trying to create “an atmosphere of tension and chaos.”
“I think it is worth remembering once again than the days you went to the street, you took to the left, to the extremists and vandals and threatening the National will have passed,” said Erdogan.
“The days when politics and justice were directed through the terror of the street now belong to the past, along with the old Türkiye.”
ADVERTISINGThe greatest wave of protests in Türkiye in more than a decade
Other protesters gathered in front of the Istanbul City Council, the Imamoglu office, where daily protests have occurred since the mayor’s arrest.
The demonstrations mark the largest place of protests in Türkiye in more than a decade.
The demonstrations took place in a large extent, but a group of protesters, who tried to pass the barricades to reach the main square of Istanbul, launched rockets, stones and other objects against the police.
The protesters claim that pepper gas, water cannons, tear gas were used and some claim that the agents have fired rubber bullets.
ADVERTISINGThe Interior Minister, there Yerlikaya, affirms that 343 suspects were arrested during the protests that took place in the main cities of the country on Friday night.
The minister also announced that “there will be no tolerance for those who seek to violate the social order, threaten people’s peace and security and chase chaos and provocation.”
Primary presidential CHP
Imamoglu arrest occurred a few days before his appointment as presidential candidate of the Republican Party (CHP), in opposition, in a primary election that will be held on Sunday.
The president of CHP, Ozgur Ozel, said that the primaries, where around 1.5 million delegates can vote, will take place as planned.
ADVERTISINGThe opposition party has also appealed to citizens who participate in a symbolic election on Sunday, through the improvised polls that will be installed throughout Turkey, to show solidarity with Imamoglu.
In a Tweet published just before his arrival in the Court, Imamoglu urged the public to protect the polls to Sunday’s primaries: “Do not forget it: they are very afraid and their democratic right to vote.”
In a previous message, Imamoglu described its arrest as a “coup d’etat” and accused the government of exploring the Judiciary and aggravating the difficult economy of the country.
