Turkey has detained more than 1,100 people, including 10 journalists reportedly arrested Monday morning — after massive protests were sparked on March 19th. Popular Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoguru arrestedhe emerged as an important rival and is probably the election challenger for President Receptacle Tayip Erdogan. Home Minister Ali Yarikaya said 1,133 people were detained for “illegal conduct” amid protests banned by authorities last week.
Despite allegations from Ankara’s government that Imamoguru’s arrest had nothing to do with his politics, the apparent crackdown on dissent has deepened concerns both in Turkey and abroad. Erosion of democracy Under Erdogan, he has led the country for over 20 years.
What’s going on in Türkiye?
The Turkish journalist organization MLSA reported the arrests of 10 journalists at their homes on Monday morning, including a photographer from the French news agency AFP. The organisation said 10 people were detained “to cover the protests.” Most of them were specifically mentioned to cover large demonstrations held daily outside of city hall.
“What’s going on with the media and journalists is a matter of freedom. None of us can remain silent about this,” Direk Kaya Imamoguru, the wife of the mayor of detained Istanbul, said in a social media post.
Reuters
The mass arrest continued on Sunday as Ekrem Imamoguru was jailed in district court on corruption charges, awaiting trial, in a move his supporters ridden in an attempt to “more attempt to silence the country’s dissent” despite the official ban. Imamoguru is also facing accusations of supporting terrorism, and authorities have cited his contacts Pro-Kurdish Group During last year’s local elections.
Since his detention, major cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, were shaken by protests that had drawn tens of thousands of people onto the streets, and turkeys quickly became the biggest unrest. Gezi Park’s protest 2013.
Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse mostly young crowds over the weekend.
Imamoguru was detained days before he was widely expected to win the primary to become the presidential candidate for the main opposition Republican People’s Party. He was among 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen who were detained as part of Wednesday’s investigation.
He defeated Erdogan’s party candidates in three previous local elections to hold the mayor’s office. Erdogan began his political career as mayor of Istanbul, a city of 16 million people considered politically and socially the epitome of Turkey.
In a social media post, Imamoguru protested that his incarceration was “a extrajudicial punishment” and called on his supporters to “join the fight for their (their) rights.”
Officials from the Erdogan administration have repeatedly said that calling accusations that Imamoguru was politically motivated is “wrong,” with Justice Minister Irmaz Tank highlighting Turkey’s “judicial independence.”
Many of those who met Imamoguru’s call for peaceful protest were university students and young people carrying Turkish flags and banners with rebellious slogans denounced Erdogan and the government.
Getty
One 26-year-old nurse who doesn’t want to be identified said she joined the protest to “submit her future” leaving her face half covered in a scarf.
She called Imamoguru’s imprisonment a “alarm call” and said “people who are worried about their future are united here.”
“We’re not scared anymore,” she said.
Another woman of the same age who she said was currently unemployed said she was repeatedly emotion and protesting to assert “my own rights” as well as demanding that Imamoguru be released.
Others said it was an economic concern that attracted them to the streets. She also includes retirees who said they could no longer achieve their goals, and said it was time for Erdogan to resign. She said she had to pick up some weird work to care for her two children despite her retirement.
“My 17-year-old son has no hope for the future of this country,” she said. “I’m here for him.”
Reuters
Despite Imamoguru’s imprisonment, the primary was running as the only competitor he stood when the CHP presidential candidate moved on. In a statement, the CHP said the mayor has collected more than 13 million votes in a mock ballot box that crossed Turkey as a show of iconic protests against the government and public support for him.
Even if Imamogul could prove his innocence to accusations of corruption and terrorism through Turkish courts, he would face other obstacles to steal the presidency from Erdogan. One day before his detention, Imamoguru’s university diploma was invalidated by his alma mater, Istanbul University. A university degree is a requirement to stand as a presidential candidate under Turkish law.
International response to Imamoguru’s arrest in Turkey
European countries are struggling with clear crackdowns on Türkiye’s dissent. The European Union, which Turkey applied for membership more than 20 years ago, warned that Ankara should “show a clear commitment to democratic norms.” Turkish bids have stagnated in the EU for at least the last nine years, with the BLOC underscoring previous crackdowns on opposition and other concerns about freedom and democratic institutions that have been eroded as a hurdle for Ankara membership.
Overnight, the French Foreign Ministry called Imamogur’s arrest, the massive arrest was called “a serious attack on democracy,” and German and Greek governments also denounced the move.
The Trump administration has spoken little about the protest since Imamoguru’s arrest, calling it a “internal legal” issue in Turkey, but State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce told reporters Friday that the US government “includes detention of the mayor of Istanbul and numerous local government employees, journalists and other individuals.”
Bruce said the State Department would mention the Turkish government “comments on internal judicial issues,” but added that it is important for Turkish authorities to “protect freedom and human rights in line with the country’s constitution and in line with shared values and democratic traditions.”
