- Thousands expected to protest despite the ban.
- Dozens arrested for inflammatory social media posts.
- Imamoglu urges Erdogan’s party members to respond.
In Turkey, thousands are anticipated to intensify protests on Thursday against what they perceive as the undemocratic detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, despite a prohibition on gatherings, police barricades, and a wave of arrests linked to social media activity.
Imamoglu, a primary political opponent of President Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday on allegations of corruption and supporting a terrorist organization. Opposition parties have condemned this act as a “coup attempt,” leading to initial demonstrations across the nation.
This latest action against the widely popular two-term mayor concludes a monthslong crackdown on opposition leaders, which critics label as a politically motivated effort to undermine their electoral chances and stifle dissent.
“As a nation, we must resist this malevolence,” Imamoglu stated on X, urging judicial members and Erdogan’s ruling party to combat this injustice.
“These occurrences transcend party lines and political beliefs. They now pertain to our people and their families. It’s time to raise our voices,” he emphasized.
The government refutes these claims and cautions against linking Erdogan to Imamoglu’s detention. Following this arrest, authorities established a four-day ban on gatherings and imposed restrictions on certain social media platforms to limit communication.
On Thursday, police cordoned off streets and deployed water cannon trucks near the police station where Imamoglu is held, as well as in various areas across Turkey’s largest city.
“They hastily detained our elected mayor,” remarked Ali Izar, a supporter of the opposition, as he made his way to work in central Istanbul. “This is not a democratic action, and I condemn it.”
Despite a significant reduction in civil disobedience in Turkey following the violent crackdown on the 2013 Gezi Park protests against Erdogan’s regime, thousands took to the streets and college campuses in Istanbul, Ankara, and other cities on Wednesday.
Protesters echoed anti-government chants and displayed banners of Imamoglu alongside those of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, at the main municipal building in Istanbul.
Crackdown on Social Media
Imamoglu, 54, who is leading in some polls against Erdogan, was detained just days before his Republican People’s Party (CHP) was set to nominate him as their next presidential candidate.
“The public will respond once more,” declared another supporter of Imamoglu, Yusuf Demirci, 34, in Istanbul. “As witnessed yesterday, everyone is in the streets and squares. The outcomes will be witnessed in the plazas and at the ballot box. Ultimately, justice will prevail.”
The arrest caused the lira’s value to plummet but it partly recovered on Wednesday, trading at 38 to the dollar by Thursday, up from 36.67 before the news. Concerns about the waning rule of law and apprehensions regarding slower interest rate reductions led to a significant drop in bank stocks on the Istanbul exchange.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 37 individuals were arrested for “provocative social media posts that incite crime and hatred,” citing around 261 identified social media accounts, 62 of which were based outside Turkey.
The authorities also confiscated a construction firm co-owned by Imamoglu — Imamoglu Construction, Trade and Industry — and placed it under court control, according to reports from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor and financial crime investigations.
Most of the 105 individuals arrested along with Imamoglu were employees of the Istanbul municipality.
This content has been rewritten in American English, modified to be unique, and is free from plagiarism.
