Turkish riot police fired teargas and rubber bullets on Thursday, March 20, as demonstrators protested for a second night outside Istanbul City Hall over the shock arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in a graft and terror probe.
The powerful and popular Imamoglu – who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival – was detained before dawn on Wednesday, just days before he was to be named as the candidate of his opposition CHP party for the 2028 presidential election. Imamoglu has urged the nation and the judiciary branch to take a stand against what his party described as a political "coup."
It was the second night that thousands had defied a protest ban to gather outside City Hall to express their anger at Imamoglu's detention. Taksim Square and Gezi Park, both renowned for mass public protests over a decade ago, remained fenced off, and social media and internet access was largely restricted for a second day. More than 80 people were rounded up in Wednesday's raids and investigators began quizzing them early on Thursday, local media said.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP party, warned the police not to provoke demonstrators by firing tear gas or rubber bullets. "If that happens, the Istanbul police will be held accountable," he warned from the podium. "Mayor Ekrem is not involved in corruption, nor terror. He's not a thief nor a terrorist," Ozel said, warning Erdogan that the protests would not stop. "I didn't fill this square and these streets. You did. They are full because of you," he said.
The CHP has angrily denounced his arrest as a political "coup", with Ozel saying Imamoglu's only crime was "taking the lead in opinion polls."
After spending his first night in custody, Imamoglu called on the nation and the judiciary to take a stand against the government's move to silence dissent, in a message on X passed through his lawyers. "We as a nation must stand against this evil," he said, urging judges and prosecutors to "stand up and take action against those who are ruining the judiciary." "You cannot and must not remain silent," wrote the 53-year-old.
Already named in a growing list of legal probes, Imamoglu – who was resoundingly re-elected last year – has been accused of "aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation" – namely the banned Kurdish militant group PKK.
He is also under investigation for "bribery, extortion, corruption, aggravated fraud, and illegally obtaining personal data for profit as part of a criminal organization" along with 99 other suspects.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also said 37 people had been detained for posting content online that was deemed "provocative," and that more investigations were underway.
Human Rights Watch called for the Istanbul mayor to be "released from police custody immediately," urging Erdogan's government to ensure "that the criminal justice system is not weaponized for political ends."