Protests Erupt in Türkiye after Arrest of Opposition Party Candidate
William Coppola
Staff Writer
The recent arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, has sparked protests across Türkiye. İmamoğlu was detained on Wednesday, March 19, and arrested the following Sunday. According to BBC News, İmamoğlu has been charged with various crimes related to corruption and criminal organizations, and the government attempted to charge him with aiding a terrorist organization.
İmamoğlu is a widely popular member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and currently the biggest political threat to incumbent President Recep Erdoğan. BBC News reports that while the arrest itself will not prevent İmamoğlu from running for president, a conviction will. Additionally, Istanbul University has announced that it has revoked İmamoğlu’s college diploma. This presents another challenge to a future İmamoğlu candidacy, as Turkish law requires all presidential candidates to hold a college degree.
In response to the arrest, the CHP announced that they would hold a presidential primary open to all eligible Turkish citizens instead of only party members. According to Al Jazeera, the CHP has announced that 1.7 million CHP members and 13 million non-party members voted for İmamoğlu, the only candidate on the ballot, making him the CHP’s candidate in the 2028 presidential election. İmamoğlu was reportedly very pleased with the election results and the number of people who participated in them. While President Erdoğan is blocked by the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye from running for another term, there is speculation that he will amend the constitution to allow him to run again. İmamoğlu says that this would amount to an anti-democratic coup.
The Turkish government has used riot police to break up the protests. AP News reports that the Turkish police have employed various tools, such as tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons, to disperse protestors. According to the Turkish Interior Minister, over 1,900 people have been detained in relation to the protests, including İmamoğlu’s lawyer. Undercover officers have also conducted raids on the homes of opposition and leftist figures. Radio and television channels supporting the opposition have been suspended or fined for their support of the protestors. 30 people have also been detained for posting pro-opposition social media posts.
Among the detained were several journalists. 11 Turkish journalists and one British journalist were arrested by the government for providing news coverage of the protests. The British journalist was Mark Lowen of BBC News. The Guardian reports that Lowen was arrested and subsequently deported from Türkiye after he was accused of “being a threat to public order.” BBC News has disputed this accusation, as they claim that Lowen was arrested solely for covering anti-government protests.
President Erdoğan has lashed out at the protestors, describing them as “evil” and accusing them of attempting to crash the economy, according to BBC News. Nevertheless, the protestors have vowed to continue until İmamoğlu is released and allowed to participate in the presidential race. Many protesters have shared with reporters that they see Erdoğan as a dictator and a threat to Turkish democracy.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
