Skip next section Imamoglu’s wife says Erdogan will be defeated
03/24/2025March 24, 2025
Imamoglu’s wife says Erdogan will be defeated
The wife of Istanbul’s embattled mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has addressed a huge crowd of people who were protesting for the fifth consecutive night since his arrest.
Dilek Kaya Imamoglu told tens of thousands of demonstrators outside City Hall in Istanbul that the government of long-time president Recep Tayyip Erdogan would pay for targeting the popular opposition figure.
“He will defeat you!… you will lose!” she said. “The injustice Ekrem faced… it struck a chord with every conscience. Everyone found something of themselves and the injustices they faced in what was done to Ekrem,” she added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sA7d
Skip next section France slams jailing of Imamoglu as ‘attack on democracy’
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
France slams jailing of Imamoglu as ‘attack on democracy’
The arrest and imprisonment of the now-suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other political leaders “constitutes a serious attack on democracy,” Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday night.
The ministry pointed out that Turkey, which has been led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan for over 20 years, had promised to protect the rights of opposition figures.
and the right to peaceful assembly are cornerstones of the rule of law, the statement added, highlighting that Turkey — as a member and candidate to join the — had “freely entered into commitments in this area.”
“The respect of these commitments is a central element of our relations as well as relations between Turkey and the European Union,” the Foreign Ministry said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4sA6C
Skip next section 15 million vote in Turkey’s opposition primary03/23/2025March 23, 2025
15 million vote in Turkey’s opposition primary
Istanbul City Hall says 15 million people voted in an opposition primary to select the city’s opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as candidate.
In cities across the country, supporters headed to symbolic ballot boxes set up to allow non-CHP party members the chance to express their solidarity with Imamoglu.
Voting was extended by three-and-a-half hours because of the massive turnout.
“Out of 15 million votes, 13,211,000 expressed their solidarity” with Ekrem Imamoglu, the imprisoned opposition figure now suspended as Istanbul’s mayor, it said.
The long-planned primary was organized by the main opposition CHP party to choose Imamoglu as its presidential nominee, with him as the only candidate on the ballot.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and triumphantly re-elected last year.
From Silivri Prison, the arrested mayor praised the symbolic referendum. In a post on X, Imamoglu said the people had told Erdogan that “enough is enough” and that “the nation will give this government a slap it will never forget.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9ug
Skip next section Turkey seeks to block hundreds of X accounts — platform
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Turkey seeks to block hundreds of X accounts — platform
Turkish authorities, faced with a mass opposition movement after the detention of the opposition mayor of Istanbul, have called for more 700 accounts on X to be blocked, the online platform says.
“We object to multiple court orders from the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block over 700 accounts of news organizations, journalists, political figures, students, and others within Turkiye,” the X communications team said in a statement, using the Turkish government’s preferred name for the country.
“Providing a platform committed to defending everyone’s right to free speech is paramount at X, and we believe this decision from the Turkish government is not only unlawful, it hinders millions of Turkish users from news and political discourse in their country.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9uK
Skip next section In pictures: A fifth night of protests after Turkey jails Imamoglu
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
In pictures: A fifth night of protests after Turkey jails Imamoglu
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9rc
Skip next section Istanbul mayor taken to jail, party says
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Istanbul mayor taken to jail, party says
Istanbul’s mayor, , was taken to jail, the opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) said.
Several hours after a court formally ordered his arrest on graft charges, Imamoglu was handed over to guards at Marmara Prison, also known as Silivri.
“Ekrem Imamoglu is currently on his way to prison. But he is also on his way to the presidency,” CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9eX
Skip next section Imamoglu ‘temporarily’ removed from office
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Imamoglu ‘temporarily’ removed from office
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been “temporarily” suspended after he was formally arrested on graft charges, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said.
The Istanbul Municipality’s council, where the main opposition CHP holds the majority, is expected to elect an acting mayor in the coming days following Imamoglu’s removal.
Additionally, two other district mayors have also been removed, according to the ministry.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9SW
Skip next section Germany calls Istanbul mayor’s arrest a setback for democracy
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Germany calls Istanbul mayor’s arrest a setback for democracy
The Foreign Office has described the formal arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as a setback for democracy in Turkey, urging a fair trial and adherence to the rule of law moving forward.
“Political competition must not be conducted through courts and prisons,” a Foreign Office spokesman said in Berlin.
“We expect the allegations to be transparently investigated as quickly as possible and for proceedings to be conducted on the basis of the rule of law,” the spokesman said.
The same applies to detained demonstrators, he added.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9SG
Skip next section Imamoglu urges new mass protests across Turkey
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Imamoglu urges new mass protests across Turkey
Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu urged Turkish citizens to fight for their rights and join protests across the country.
“Turkey woke up to a great betrayal today. The judicial process is not a judicial process. It is a complete extrajudicial execution,” he wrote on X.
Imamoglu urged his compatriots to take part in the primaries organized by his oppostition CHP party. “Then meet at Sarachane square in Istanbul and at democracy squares in other cities and raise your voice,” he added.
“It is the day to take responsibility against those who stole the will of the people and to join the struggle,” Imamoglu wrote.
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations and hundreds have been arrested since Imamoglu’s arrest on Wednesday.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9FF
Skip next section CHP to appeal Imamoglu’s detention
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
CHP to appeal Imamoglu’s detention
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is currently on his way to jail but also to the presidency, Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP party, was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.
Ozel added that the mayor was arrested because he posed an electoral threat to President Tayyip Erdogan.
The CHP leader made the comments after casting his vote in an internal CHP ballot to determine its presidential candidate for the next election in which Imamoglu was the only name on the list. Ozel also said that the CHP will appeal against the court’s decision to imprison Imamoglu.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9CJ
Skip next section Court rejects Imamoglu arrest in ‘terror’ probe, upholds graft arrest
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Court rejects Imamoglu arrest in ‘terror’ probe, upholds graft arrest
An Istanbul court has rejected the formal arrest of opposition Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in a “terror” investigation, but upheld his detention in a graft investigation, according to an official statement.
“In connection with a financial investigation, it has been decided that the suspect, Ekrem İmamoglu, be remanded in custody on charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, misconduct in office, unlawfully recording personal data, and bid rigging,” the court ruled.
“Although there is strong suspicion of assisting an armed terrorist organization, it has been deemed unnecessary to make a decision on this particular charge at this stage, as he has already been remanded in custody for financial crimes,” the court added.
Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday in connection with both probes. The arrest sparked four days of massive protests in Turkey.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s9AU
Skip next section Over 300 protesters arrested on Saturday evening, interior ministry says
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Over 300 protesters arrested on Saturday evening, interior ministry says
With protests continuing over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamgolu, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 323 people were arrested on Saturday evening.
“No attempt to undermine public order will be allowed!” he added.
In Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and other cities, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in defiance of bans. More than .
https://p.dw.com/p/4s99B
Skip next section Imamoglu: ‘I am standing tall, I will not bow down’
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Imamoglu: ‘I am standing tall, I will not bow down’
After a court ruled that he be jailed pending trial in a corruption probe, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said he would not bow down.
“We will, hand in hand, uproot this blow, this black stain on our democracy… I am standing tall, I will not bow down,” Imamoglu said in a post on X.
Imamoglu also urged his supporters not to lose hope. “Never be sad, do not be depressed, do not lose hope,” he wrote.
He also invited 86 million of his countrymen to go to the polls and “proclaim to the whole world the struggle for democracy and justice.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4s98D
Skip next section DW ask Turkish students why they support opposition
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
DW ask Turkish students why they support opposition
The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday has sparked some of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Turkey in more than a decade. The protesters include many university students who fear their country is taking an even more authoritarian turn.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s97A
Skip next section Imamoglu’s party sets up ‘solidarity boxes’ across Turkey
03/23/2025March 23, 2025
Imamoglu’s party sets up ‘solidarity boxes’ across Turkey
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s formal arrest came as his Republican People’s Party (CHP) began holding a primary to nominate him as its presidential candidate .
The opposition party also set up symbolic “solidarity boxes” nationwide, allowing non-members to show their support for the mayor.
Imamoglu is seen as biggest rival. Presidential elections in Turkey are slated for 2028, but Erdogan will only be able to run again if a constitutional amendment is passed or if early elections are called.
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, also a member of the CHP, criticized the lack of confidentiality in the proceedings against Imamoglu.
“Honestly, we are embarrassed on behalf of our legal system,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4s92b
The post Turkey updates: Imamoglu’s wife addresses protesters appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
