Watan-On Sunday, a judge ordered the imprisonment of Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on charges of “corruption,” sparking a wide wave of protests across Turkey since his detention on Wednesday, according to one of his lawyers who spoke to AFP.
İmamoğlu was taken, along with 90 other defendants, to Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul—located about 10 kilometers from the municipality building—under heavy security by riot police. The court heard his testimony twice during the night.
For his part, İmamoğlu vowed on Sunday not to surrender after being sentenced to prison for “corruption,” as Turkey witnesses its largest wave of protests in over a decade in response to his arrest.
İmamoğlu Defiant as Protests Grow in Istanbul
In a message shared by his lawyer on X, the mayor—who is the most prominent opposition figure to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—called on his supporters to “not lose hope” and “not fall into despair,” saying:
“We will wipe away this black stain from our democracy, hand in hand. I will not surrender. Everything will be alright.”
The Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition party to which İmamoğlu belongs, denounced the move as a “political coup.” Turkish media reported that other defendants were also sentenced to prison alongside the mayor, including one of his close advisers.
On Saturday night, massive crowds gathered outside Istanbul City Hall for the fourth night in a row, protesting İmamoğlu’s detention. He described the corruption and terrorism charges against him as “immoral and baseless.” Some protesters spent the night inside the municipality building, awaiting news on the mayor’s fate.
Istanbul authorities extended a ban on public gatherings until Wednesday evening, and announced restrictions on entering the city to prevent further protests—without clarifying how these measures would be enforced.
Protests Across Turkey
Since Wednesday, protests have spread across Turkey, reaching a scale not seen since the 2013 Gezi Park protests. Demonstrations erupted in at least 55 provinces, with clashes between protesters and riot police in what is now considered the largest protest movement in over a decade.
One protester, Aykut Çınk (30), said:“Just like people came out to support Erdoğan during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, we’re now taking to the streets to support İmamoğlu.”
Paris and Berlin, along with mayors of several major European cities, have condemned İmamoğlu’s detention. In contrast, President Erdoğan vowed not to yield to what he called “street terrorism.”
İmamoğlu, seen as a major rival to Erdoğan, won Istanbul’s mayoral seat in 2019, ending 25 years of AKP control over the city.
His arrest came just days before the Republican People’s Party was expected to announce its presidential candidate for the 2028 elections. The party has decided to proceed with its internal primaries, which began Sunday morning, urging all Turks to take part.
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