Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been formally arrested and charged with corruption.
Ekrem Imamoglu is expected to be selected as the opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate in a ballot on March 23.
The mayor denies the allegations and in a statement on social media, he is quoted as saying: “I will never bow”.
His detention on March 19 has sparked off some of the largest protests in more than a decade. President Erdogan has condemned the demonstrations and accused the CHP of trying to “disturb the peace and polarise our people”.
On March 22, tear gas hung in the air outside the mayor’s office in Istanbul, before the protests had even properly begun.
As the crowds had grown throughout the evening, it became hard to breathe as round after round was fired to disperse demonstrators.
Chanting “rights, law, justice”, people of all ages defied a government ban on gatherings to protest against what they see as an unlawful detention.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
In Ankara and Izmir, police deployed water cannons against protesters.
For the past four nights, thousands have taken to the streets across Turkey in largely peaceful demonstrations.
Authorities tried to stifle the street demonstrations with a four-day ban on all gatherings in Istanbul, which was extended to Ankara and Izmir as protests spread across the country.
Since March 20, riot police have repeatedly clashed with protestors and could be seen firing pepper gas and water cannons towards crowds of demonstrators.
Turkish authorities said 343 people were arrested on March 21, the third day of protests, across the country.
Imamoglu is seen as one of Erdogan’s most formidable political rivals. He is the only person running in the CHP’s presidential candidate selection, which is set to take place on March 23.
However, on March 19, he was one of more than 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, detained as part of an investigation.
A day before his arrest, Istanbul University announced it was revoking Ekrem Imamoglu’s degree due to alleged irregularities, a measure – which if upheld – would put his ability to run as president into doubt.
According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held office for the past 22 years, as both prime minister and president of Turkey. However, due to term limits, he cannot run for office again in 2028 unless he changes the constitution.
Opposition figures say the arrests are politically motivated. But the Ministry of Justice has criticized those who link Erdogan to the arrests, and insist on their judicial independence.
