Hundreds of thousands of protesters again congregated in Istanbul on Saturday to show their support for the city’s imprisoned mayor and demand his release.
Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) organised the demonstration, the latest in a series of protests that resulted in hundreds of detentions and have turned up the pressure on the country’s long-time leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to Erdogan, was detained on March 19 on corruption and terrorism charges that many saw as politically motivated. The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.
His detention, and later formal arrest over the corruption charges on March 23rd, sparked nationwide protests despite assembly bans, police crackdowns, and legal prosecution by authorities.
“They’ve detained hundreds of our children, thousands of our youths … arrested hundreds of them,” CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told protesters. “They only had one goal in mind: to intimidate them, terrify them, make sure they never go out again.”
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday that nearly 1,900 people had been detained since March 19, and pro-government media reported Friday that public prosecutors had requested up to three years imprisonment for 74 of the detainees.
