Tens of thousands took to the streets across Turkey on Sunday night (March 24) in the worst unrest the country has seen in more than a decade. It erupted in response to the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, who has been charged with corruption.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was due to be selected as the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2028 presidential nominee in a vote on Sunday. But following his arrest, Sunday night saw fierce demonstrations with protesters fired upon with tear gas and rubber bullets. In a post on X – just before being remanded in custody – Imamoglu said the allegations were politically motivated.
“I will never bow,” Imamoglu wrote on X. His wife, Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, also addressed the large crowds, telling demonstrators that the “injustice” her husband has faced has “struck a chord with every conscience”.
Imamoglu was one of over 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen detained as part of an investigation on Wednesday. He was formally arrested on Sunday, charged with “establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data and rigging a tender”. He was remanded in custody pending trial.
President Erdogan has condemned the demonstrations and accused the CHP of trying to “disturb the peace and polarise our people”.
Crowds amassed near Istanbul’s city hall by early evening on Sunday – for the fifth night in a row – and could be seen waving Turkish flags and chanting in front of a row of riot police.
Officers were seen firing water cannons at some protesters and using pepper spray. According to AFP, at least 55 out of Turkey’s 81 provinces – more than two thirds of the country – faced protests on Sunday.
This marks the largest outbreak of demonstrations Turkey has seen since the Gezi protests in 2013, which began in Istanbul over the demolition of a local park.
According to a statement from Turkey’s interior ministry, Imamogly has also been suspended from his post as mayor.
In social media posts, Imamoglu said his arrest as a “black stain on our democracy” and that judicial procedure was not being followed.
He urged people across the country to join protests and take part in Sunday’s vote. In a message shared on X through his lawyers late on Sunday, Imamoglu addressed those protesting and said that voters had shown Turkey had “enough” of Erdogan.
Imamoglu was the only person running in the CHP’s presidential candidate selection. The arrest does not prevent Imamoglu’s candidacy and election as president, but if he is convicted of any of the charges against him, he will not be able to run.
In a post on X, Imamoglu’s wife shared pictures of herself casting her vote and urged the country to vote for “democracy, justice and the future”.