Hundreds of thousands rally in Istanbul to call for release of jailed mayor
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the Turkish city of Istanbul to call for the jailed mayor of the city to be released.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s detention on March 19 sparked an unprecedented wave of protests across Turkey despite assembly bans, police crackdowns, and legal prosecution by authorities. He was later formally arrested over the corruption charges on March 23.
On Saturday, protesters gathered in a spot far from the Istanbul city center, waving Turkish flags and banners calling for "Freedom for Imamoglu."
The head of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Özgur Özel, who organized the rally, claimed 2.2 million people participated.
Ozel said he planned to make Saturday rallies a weekly feature in cities across the country, with others to be held in Istanbul every Wednesday.
He told the crowd that the authorities have “detained hundreds of our children, thousands of our youths … arrested hundreds of them.”
“They only had one goal in mind: to intimidate them, terrify them, make sure they never go out again.”
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Thursday that nearly 1,900 people had been detained since March 19. Reports said Friday that public prosecutors had requested up to three years imprisonment for 74 of the detainees.
No new arrests have been reported at Saturday’s rally.
The mayor was elected as the CHP's candidate for the 2028 presidential race on the day he was jailed.
Many consider his arrest politically motivated, but Ankara insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.
Ozel called for the immediate release of Imamoglu, as well as for other political prisoners, saying, “In the Turkey we envision presidential candidates will not be imprisoned.”
He told French newspaper Le Monde, "If we don't stop this attempted coup, it will mean the end of the ballot box."
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