Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered on the streets of Istanbul to protest against the arrest of the city’s mayor – as he was due to be selected as an opposition candidate to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ekrem Imamoglu, 54, was detained on corruption charges alongside 100 others on 19 March – and was formally arrested and jailed five days later.
Those who have taken to the streets see Mr Imamoglu’s detention as politically motivated, as he was sent to jail on the same day the Republican People’s Party (CHP) was expected to vote him in as their presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.
Mr Erdogan’s government has denied these claims, describing the demonstrations as “street terror”, a “disruption of public order”, and “vandalism”.
They are thought to be the largest protests since the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013, when around three million people took part.
Police used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets as they tried to disperse crowds during five nights of protests and had detained 323 people by Sunday, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
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Why was Istanbul’s mayor arrested?
According to state prosecutors, Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested on suspicion of “establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data, and rigging a tender”.
They also questioned him on terrorism charges, alleging that he took part in an “urban consensus initiative” aimed at increasing the influence of Kurdish figures in municipal Turkish politics.
The prosecutors say the scheme was linked to the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), which is part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a proscribed terrorist group in Turkey, the UK, and the US.
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Writer once detained for ‘insulting Turkishness’
Mr Imamoglu was detained alongside one of his aides and the mayors for Istanbul’s Sisli and Beylikduzu districts.
It came four days before the CHP was due to hold its primary elections for the 2028 Turkish elections, in which Mr Imamoglu was their sole candidate. Although only 1.5 million delegates were eligible to vote, the party reportedly set up “solidarity” ballot boxes allowing others to show him their support.
According to CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, at least 13 million people submitted votes for him, in addition to the party members.
The day before his detention, Istanbul University revoked his degrees – in business administration and human resources management.
University bosses claim this was due to irregularities stemming from the fact he had transferred from a private university in northern Cyprus.
However, his supporters were quick to point out that this would prevent him from running for the presidency – as a university degree is among the essential criteria.
During a court hearing on Saturday, Mr Imamoglu described the claims against him as “unimaginable accusations and slanders”.
“I strongly reject all allegations,” he said, before being denied bail and moved to a prison west of Istanbul.
Speaking after the decision to charge his colleague, CHP leader Mr Ozel said: “The only crime of Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been elected by 16 million Istanbulites three times, is to have defeated Recep Tayyip Erdogan and he has been arrested because he would win the next election.”
Mr Erdogan’s office has denied these allegations – and accused the CHP of trying to “disturb the peace and polarise our people”.
Why is he important?
Mr Imamoglu was elected mayor of Istanbul in March 2019 – having served as mayor of Beylikduzu, a western district of the city, for five years previously.
It represented a huge blow for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose Justice and Development (AK) Party had controlled Istanbul for 25 years.
AK challenged the result, claiming irregularities, and demanded a re-run, which took place in June and which Mr Imamoglu also won.
Mr Imamoglu won a second five-year term as mayor in last year’s mayoral election – with more than 50% of the vote.
On Sunday, Turkey’s interior ministry said Mr Imamoglu had been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure”.
This was also seen by demonstrators as symbolic of the curbing of Turkish democracy and its rule of law.
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What is the wider political situation in Turkey?
Mr Erdogan came to power in 2003.
He served as prime minister until 2014 when he oversaw Turkey’s move from a parliamentary to presidential system and became the country’s first directly-elected president.
He has been re-elected twice – in the 2018 and 2023 elections. The current constitution would prevent him from running again but many believe he will amend the rules to stay in office.
During his tenure he has expanded presidential powers and reversed previous bids to make Turkey a more secular society – instead advocating for conservative, pro-religious positions.
World leaders and human rights organisations have voiced increasing concerns about Turkish democracy.
Human Rights Watch says Mr Erdogan’s government has “set back Turkey’s human rights record by decades”.
They cite the “targeting of perceived government critics and political opponents”, “undermining the independence of the judiciary” and “hollowing out democratic institutions”.
Amnesty International claims he is responsible for “baseless investigations, prosecutions and convictions of human rights defenders, journalists, and opposition politicians”.
The group says that anti-terrorism and disinformation laws have been used to “curtail freedom of expression” and “unlawfully restrict freedom of assembly”.
Amid protests this week, public gatherings have been banned, parts of Istanbul’s public transport network suspended, and there are reports of access to social media platforms such as X and TikTok being restricted.
Following the earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023, in which 15 million people were impacted and at least 50,000 people killed, 257 people were arrested for criticising the government response.
Mr Erdogan and his ministers have repeatedly denied allegations of autocracy.
