Turkey’s Opposition leader visits jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Today World News

A man faces off anti-riot police officers in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, March 24, 2025, during a protest after Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison
| Photo Credit: AP

The head of Turkey’s main Opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday (March 25, 2025) after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.

Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated and sparked demonstrations, some turning violent, across the country. The government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.

Also Read | Turkiye detains more than 1,000 in protests since Istanbul Mayor’s arrest, Minister says

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, or CHP, arrived at Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, in a convoy of vehicles Tuesday morning.

After a two-hour meeting, Mr. Ozel told reporters that he was “ashamed on behalf of those who govern Turkey of the atmosphere I am in and the situation that Turkey is being put through.”

He described Mr. Imamoglu and two jailed CHP district mayors he also met as “three lions inside, standing tall, with their heads held high … proud of themselves, their families, their colleagues, not afraid.”

Ozel announced the night before that Tuesday evening would be CHP’s final rally outside Istanbul’s City Hall, calling for people to join in. He also said the party would appoint a member to the municipal council to act as mayor in Imamoglu’s place, staving off the possibility of a state-appointed replacement.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have been cracking down on journalists as protests have grown.

The Media and Law Studies Association, a civil society group, said eight journalists who were detained “for covering protests in Istanbul,” banned by authorities, had been brought to the city’s Caglayan Courthouse. They are accused of “violating the law on meetings and demonstrations,” the group said.

The association later said prosecutors had initially announced the journalists would be released under judicial control but subsequently referred them to a criminal court with a request that they be jailed pending trial.

Media workers’ unions have condemned the arrests as an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.”

Meanwhile, the head of the CHP’s Istanbul branch, Ozgur Celik, shared a letter he had received from the prosecutor’s office ordering the removal of poster of Imamoglu. He said he would not comply.

“You will see more of Mayor Ekrem on the balconies of houses, in squares, on the streets and on the walls,” Celik posted on X.

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns across Turkey, have been largely peaceful with protesters demanding Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding. However, some turned violent, with officers deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters, some of whom have hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Tuesday that police had detained 43 “provocateurs” over what he said were “vile insults” hurled at Erdogan and his family at protests. Some 1,133 protesters were detained between Wednesday and Sunday, he said earlier.

Ozel and Imamoglu’s social media accounts posted condemnations of insults hurled at Erdogan’s mother.

Imamoglu has been jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. He also faces prosecution on terror-related charges and has been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.”

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people have been jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. A further 44 suspects in the case alleging widespread graft at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released under judicial control.

Although Turkey is not due for another election until 2028, there is a reasonable possibility that Erdogan will call for an early vote in order to run for another term.

Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul alongside its predecessors for a quarter-century.