Detained Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu denies ‘terrorism’ charges: Report

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul who has been detained, has denied the “terrorism” charges brought against him, according to a court document that the Reuters news agency has seen.

Imamoglu’s defense on Saturday during a hearing on the matter showed that “I see today during my interrogation that I and my colleagues are facing unimaginable accusations and slanders.”

Imamoglu was detained by prosecutors at the Caglayan courthouse later on Saturday, according to a city hall spokesman. On Sunday, Imamoglu will show up in court because a judge is expected to decide whether to release him or put him in jail.

The mayor, a key opposition figure and potential challenger to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s longtime partner, was detained by the government on Wednesday for allegedly promoting “corruption” and “terrorism.”

Four days before his Republican People’s Party (CHP) intended to name him as its 2028 presidential candidate, he was detained.

Erdogan charged the CHP’s leadership with turning the organization “into an apparatus to absolve a few municipal robbers who have become blinded by money” on Saturday.

He also alleged that it “does everything to stifle public order and polarize the country.”

appearance in court

Imamoglu will be moved from police custody to judicial custody on Saturday, according to Stefanie Dekker, a reporter from Ankara.

He will undergo a health check, along with 100 or so other people who are also being charged, and he will then be transported to the courthouse. She added that he will be subjected to a prosecutor’s question later tonight.

She continued, “The judge will decide whether he is released without charge, released pending trial, or detained pending trial,” adding that he would appear before a judge tomorrow morning.

Feeling trapped, in your lap

In less than two-thirds of Turkiye’s 81 provinces, including those that support Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, including the central regions of Konya and Trabzon and Rize in the Black Sea, have protests erupted in the past 48 hours.

This week, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters that the arrests were unrelated to the government. He said, “At best, he said, it is presumptuous and inappropriate to link investigations and cases initiated by the judiciary to our President.”

Erdogan’s communications directorate added that the administration would continue to support him in the face of what it called an “irrational smear campaign.”

Large numbers of protesters have taken to the streets despite a protest ban and a heavy police presence.

On Saturday, protests broke out in Turkiye for the fourth night in a row.

Kemal Can, a journalist and author of numerous books on Turkish society, reported to the AFP news agency, “The feeling of being trapped was already widespread.

Despite the country’s divided past and current polarized environment, Erdogan still commands support in many regions of the nation, which are trusted by the government.

Can claimed that Imamoglu’s arrest had sparked a strong response, “especially among young people concerned about their future in a nation where freedoms are getting more and more constrained.” It goes beyond Imamoglu’s reaction.

Imamoglu praised the protests and claimed in a post on X on Saturday that they were intended to defend “democracy” as an “inspiration” for the rest of the world.

protests are being suppressed

Turkish police have retaliated against protesters.

According to officials, 343 people have been detained in the demonstrations, which have resulted in a sizable demonstration in one of Turkiye’s biggest cities.

According to the Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office, detention warrants were issued for 94 suspects who were accused of making “provocative” protests and creating public “panic” on Saturday.

According to reports from Anadolu, police conducted simultaneous raids, detaining 56 of the suspects, and are now looking for 38 more. Additionally, authorities reportedly seized illegal drugs while conducting home searches on the suspects.

106 suspects are being investigated over allegations of corruption and “terror” in a broad investigation involving Mamoglu.

Source: Aljazeera