Turkey's Opposition Rallies Against Crackdown, Demands Release of Jailed Mayor

Turkey's Opposition Rallies in Support of Jailed Istanbul Mayor

Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), has rallied in support of the jailed Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, in a move to sustain the largest anti-government demonstrations in years. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the protest, which was held far from the Istanbul city center.

CHP leader Özgur Özel claimed that 2.2 million people attended the rally. He condemned the government's actions, stating that they had detained hundreds of children and thousands of youths, aiming to intimidate and terrify them. Özel also called for the release of both İmamoğlu and jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş, a former presidential candidate who has been imprisoned for nine years on terrorism charges.

The demonstrations come after İmamoğlu was detained on corruption charges and subsequently removed from office by the Turkish interior ministry. He is currently being held in a high-security facility on the edge of Istanbul. The Turkish authorities have arrested 1,900 people in the 10 days since İmamoğlu's detention, including 13 journalists and two foreign correspondents.

Özel has announced that the CHP will hold weekly rallies in different cities across Turkey, and similar gatherings in Istanbul each Wednesday. He believes that the arrests will slow down and is prepared to face imprisonment himself if necessary to prevent what he sees as an attempted coup against democracy.

İmamoğlu, in a message from prison published by the New York Times, accused foreign leaders of failing to speak out about his detention. He specifically criticized the lack of strong response from European leaders. He believes that President Erdoğan, unable to defeat him at the ballot box, has resorted to other means to eliminate his main political opponent.

İmamoğlu's imprisonment has been widely condemned by human rights groups and international observers. Human Rights Watch described the situation as one of Turkey's gravest sociopolitical upheavals in decades. The organization also criticized the Turkish authorities' use of force against peaceful protesters.

The CHP's rallies and İmamoğlu's message from prison highlight the growing tension and polarization in Turkish politics. The outcome of this situation remains uncertain, but it is clear that the fight for democracy and freedom of expression in Turkey is far from over.