ISTANBUL: A Turkish court on Sunday (Mar 23) jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, pending trial on corruption charges in a move that inflamed the country’s biggest protests in more than a decade.
The decision to send Imamoglu to jail comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and hundreds of thousands of protesters criticised the actions against him as politicised and undemocratic.
As the courtroom developments unfolded, there were signs that the mayor’s troubles were galvanising opposition against Erdogan’s government, which has run Türkiye for 22 years.
Nearly 15 million Republican People’s Party (CHP) members and non-members, who made up the vast majority, streamed into polling stations nationwide to either elect or endorse Imamoglu as its candidate in a future presidential vote, the party said.
The non-member vote, more than 13 million, according to the CHP, could indicate that Imamoglu, 54, enjoys wide public support beyond the party faithful. The party’s chairman said it showed the need for early elections.
Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as “unimaginable accusations and slanders” and called for nationwide protests on Sunday. “We will rip away this coup, this dark stain on our democracy, all together,” he said.
Footage showed him being taken to Silivri prison in a police convoy after the ruling. The mayor of Türkiye’s largest city was also removed from duty, along with two other district mayors, the interior ministry said.
The government denies that investigations are politically motivated and says courts are independent.
