People gather at city hall and students march in anger after arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, a likely opposition candidate for presidencyOutside Istanbul’s city hall on Wednesday night a mass of protesters gathered in the freezing air to defy a city-wide ban on gatherings. A banner bearing a portrait of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, giving a speech alongside the words “sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation” covered part of the facade of his now vacant office.In dawn raids that morning police had detained İmamoğlu, the only contender seen as capable of defeating Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in presidential elections. For many residents of Turkey’s largest city, the arrest symbolised how far the state was willing to go to remove a perceived threat to the incumbent president. Continue reading...
Crowds in Istanbul defied a ban on gatherings to protest the detention of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025. İmamoğlu and over 100 others were detained in two separate cases brought by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office; one accusing him of financial corruption and embezzlement, and another of aiding a terrorist organization. Protesters, including students and members of the CHP party, expressed concerns about the state of Turkish democracy. The interior minister stated that dozens more were detained for inciting crime. The justice minister dismissed claims of political motivation. The CHP leader addressed the crowds calling the arrest an attempt to overthrow the national will.
