Political vibrations: İmamoğlu in custody-protests across the country!
Political vibrations: İmamoğlu in custody-protests across the country!
A Turkish court has decided that the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu has to custody. İmamoğlu, who is the main competitor of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was detained on Wednesday and nominated on the same day by the CHP, his party, as a presidential candidate. This time proximity raises questions and is considered politically motivated. Tagesschau reports that about 1.6 million of the 1.7 million CHP members voted for him.
İmamoğlu is not the only one affected by this wave of repression. The mayors of the Istanbul municipalities of Beylikdüzü and Şişli were also discontinued. Among other things, İmamoğlu is accused of corruption and suspicion of terrorism, which he vehemently denies. It is believed that the arrest aims to prevent its presidential candidacy. His opposing politicians accuse the government of eliminating a political rival.
protests and international reactions
The reaction to İmamoğlus arrest was explosive in Turkey. Despite a ban on demonstration, protests broke out nationwide, with reports to be indicated by up to 300,000 participants in Istanbul. There were also expressions of solidarity abroad: around 1,500 to 2,000 people in Cologne protested in Germany and around 1,300 in Berlin. In Duisburg, the CHP youth organization set up an improvised polling station, where more than 2,000 people showed their support, although officially only Chp members in Turkey can choose.
The Turkish police were violent against the demonstrators and took 323 people into custody. Emergency services use pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons to dispers the demonstrations. The taz has reported that the current situation in Turkey is characterized by an increased repressive attitude, which is not only concerned İmoğlu, but many opposition members.
political context and allegations
İmamoğlu is now at the center of numerous corruption procedures, in which 106 other people are also involved, including his consultants. These allegations relate to corruption investigations, which are closely linked to a cooperation between the CHP and the Prokurdish DES party. The CHP chairman Özür Özel described the arrest as a "civil coup" against the opposition. The allegations against İmamoğlu that he had insulted members of the election commission also heat up the debate. Additional information from taz illustrate that the repression in Turkey is increasing and other prominent people are also affected, including artists and trade unionists who have been pursued for their political activities in recent years.
İmamoğlu described the current allegations as "unimaginable accusations and defamation" and sees his detention as part of a larger, repressive plan to restrict the opposition in Turkey. The next regular presidential elections are scheduled for 2028, but many are wondering how the political landscape will change until then.
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