The Turkish flag of the wave of college college students gathered in protest in Istanbul’s Besiktas district on March 20, 2025, detained towards corrupt probes of Istanbul’s Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoguru.
Ozan Course | AFP | Getty Photos
A Turkish courtroom has imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoguru on Sunday and tried on Graft expenses, saying state media and different broadcasters are prone to spark the nation’s greatest protest towards President Tayyip Erdogan’s authorities for greater than a decade.
The choice to ship Erdogan’s main political rival, Imamoguru, to jail got here after main opposition events, European leaders and tens of 1000’s of protesters criticized the actions towards him as political and undemocratic.
The courtroom mentioned Imamoguru, 54, and not less than 20 folks have been jailed as a part of a corruption investigation.
The courtroom has determined to launch the mayor underneath judicial management measures towards one other terrorist accusation, broadcasters Halk TV and Ahaber reported that the federal government might appoint the biggest metropolis within the nation to nominate trustees.
Imamoguru, who leads Erdogan in a number of polls, has denied the accusations and known as them “unimaginable accusations and slander.”
Others additionally voted to pick out Imamoguru because the candidate for the CHP for the upcoming presidential election, together with the principle opposition to the Erdogan ruling alliance, a member of the Republican Celebration (CHP) on Sunday.
The overall election will not be scheduled till 2028. Nonetheless, if Erdogan, who led Turkey for 22 years, runs once more, then the Congress should help the earlier elections, because the president has reached his limits by that day.
CHP’s Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas additionally advised reporters on Sunday that imprisoning Imamoguru is a dishonorable a part of the judicial system.
The federal government denied the investigation was politically motivated and mentioned the courts have been unbiased. It warns towards the protest, particularly given the nationwide ban on avenue rallies that was prolonged for 4 extra days on Saturday.
On Saturday, 1000’s gathered exterior the Istanbul metropolis constructing and the principle courthouse, and a whole lot of police have been positioned in each places to make use of tear fuel and pepper spray pellets to disperse protesters as crowds threw explosives and different objects.
Most demonstrations have been peaceable, however protesters clashed with police within the West Coast of Izmir and the capital Ankara for 3 consecutive nights, with police firing water cannons on the crowd.
Turkish authorities have detained 323 folks throughout protests towards the investigation, House Minister Ali Yarikaya mentioned early on Sunday.
