Istanbul [Turkey], March 21: Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Thursday called for fresh protests in at least 14 cities and provinces, a day after the detention of popular Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
The CHP urged supporters to gather outside party offices and town centres on Thursday evening, including Istanbul, in defiance of a demonstration ban imposed in the city through Sunday.
Nationwide protests had already erupted on Wednesday.
"No sleep, no stopping for us while mayor Ekrem is in custody," CHP lawmaker Ali Mahir Basarir wrote on social media platform X.
Imamoglu, widely seen as a potential challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2028 presidential election, was taken into custody early on Wednesday in a police raid on his Istanbul home over terrorism and corruption allegations.
Erdogan has yet to comment on the move against the mayor of Turkey's largest city.
Despite the protest ban, imposed by the Istanbul governor's office, students at Istanbul University demonstrated for a second consecutive day on Thursday, local media reported. University student groups have also called for wider protests on X. The Istanbul governor's office warned residents in the city to avoid "unauthorized demonstrations," threatening legal action against those disrupting public services.
Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the nationalist MHP party and an ally of Erdogan, condemned the demonstrations on X, accusing the CHP of inciting unrest and warning protesters of "trouble."
Critics say Imamoglu's confinement was politically motivated, with CHP leader Özgür Özel urging supporters to peacefully oppose what he called a "civilian coup." The detention order against Imamoglu and 105 others was followed by a government crackdown on critics.
Turkish police have detained 37 people over social media posts while 261 accounts were separately under investigation for "provocative posts," Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote Thursday on X.
Imamoglu's case sparked domestic and foreign outrage, coming just four days before the secular CHP was set to nominate him as its presidential candidate.
It was not immediately clear if and when Imamoglu, currently held at the Istanbul police headquarters, would face trial. If convicted on terrorism charges, Imamoglu could be removed from office and replaced by a government-affiliated official.
Turkey has previously dismissed mayors from the pro-Kurdish Dem Party and, more recently, the CHP over terrorism-related probes, but ousting the mayor of Istanbul, a city of 16 million, would mark an unprecedented move.
In a defiant statement on X, Imamoglu wrote: "As a nation we must stand against this evil. This is my call to my people." He accused Erdogan's government of targeting his family and assets, calling on public officials and the judiciary to resist any abuse of power.
"I trust the honourable Turkish judiciary. You cannot and must not remain silent," he wrote.
"The mind which seized my diploma will confiscate your property, your honour, your estate, and commit all kinds of usurpation and assault," Imamoglu added.
One day before his detention, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's university diploma, a credential necessary for presidential candidacy.
Authorities also seized a construction firm co-owned by Imamoglu, according to state news agency Anadolu.
Meanwhile, the CHP said it would proceed with Sunday's vote to nominate Imamoglu.
Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Thursday strongly denied the opposition's accusations of a "civilian coup" and that the party had links to the detention orders. The detentions are part of independent investigations, said party spokesperson Ömer Çelik.
In 2019, for the first time in 25 years, Islamic conservatives in Turkey lost control of the capital Ankara and Istanbul. Imamoglu was re-elected as Istanbul mayor in the 2024 polls.
The loss of Turkey's economic powerhouse Istanbul was a major setback for Erdogan, whose political rise began in Istanbul, where he was elected mayor in 1994.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the detention of Imamoglu as a "very, very bad sign." The detention of such a central opposition politician is "depressing for democracy in Turkey, but certainly also depressing for relations between Europe and Turkey," Scholz said on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.
Source: Qatar Tribune