The Caglayan court was expected to decide whether to charge or release him, his lawyer said, after a fourth night of protests sparked a harsh crackdown in Turkiye’s worst street unrest in over a decade.
The popular opposition mayor, who is the biggest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested last week, just days before he was to be named the main opposition CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race.
He was detained in connection with two probes alleging graft and “aiding a terror organisation” - accusations which he at the weekend told police were “immoral and baseless”.
The move against him sparked protests in Istanbul and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkiye's 81 provinces, sparking running battles with police.
Following more mass protests, police arrested 323 people, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.
Also yesterday, the CHP pressed ahead with its long-planned primary to name Imamoglu as its presidential candidate, with polls opening at 8.00am.
The party has opened the vote to anyone, not just party members, in the hope of a massive show of support for the beleaguered mayor, widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging Erdogan.
“Dictators are cowards!” and “AKP (Turkiye’s ruling party), you will not silence us!” read some of the placards at the Istanbul protest late Saturday, which appeared bigger and denser than the previous night.
Riot police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and percussion grenades on the Istanbul protesters, toughening their methods shortly after midnight ...
The popular opposition mayor, who is the biggest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested last week, just days before he was to be named the main opposition CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race.
He was detained in connection with two probes alleging graft and “aiding a terror organisation” - accusations which he at the weekend told police were “immoral and baseless”.
The move against him sparked protests in Istanbul and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkiye's 81 provinces, sparking running battles with police.
Following more mass protests, police arrested 323 people, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.
Also yesterday, the CHP pressed ahead with its long-planned primary to name Imamoglu as its presidential candidate, with polls opening at 8.00am.
The party has opened the vote to anyone, not just party members, in the hope of a massive show of support for the beleaguered mayor, widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging Erdogan.
“Dictators are cowards!” and “AKP (Turkiye’s ruling party), you will not silence us!” read some of the placards at the Istanbul protest late Saturday, which appeared bigger and denser than the previous night.
Riot police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and percussion grenades on the Istanbul protesters, toughening their methods shortly after midnight ...
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The Mercury (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 24, 2025