More than 1.100 people have been arrested since protests began in Turkey over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Harsh criticisms are coming from Germany,
U Turkey there were numerous arrests during protests against the arrest of an opposition politician Ekrem Imamoglu.
According to Interior Minister Ali Jerlikaya, at Platform X, 1.133 people were arrested during "illegal demonstrations" between March 19 and 23, 2025. The government will not allow "the streets to be terrorized," Jerlikaya said.
According to the MLSA Bar Association, a total of ten journalists and photographers were arrested during raids on Monday. reports Deutsche Welle.
Scholz: "Absolutely unacceptable"
German chancellor Olaf Scholz he assessed the arrest and temporary dismissal of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as "absolutely unacceptable".
"We are following the developments in Turkey with great concern," German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. He stressed that this case must be clarified "very quickly and completely transparently".
The German government has not yet considered the concrete consequences of the arrests, such as the suspension of arms exports to Turkey. He first wants to see how the Turkish government will respond to requests to clarify the case, Hebestreit said. "Then other issues may need to be considered."
The German Foreign Ministry called the treatment of Imamoglu a serious blow to democracy in Turkey and called for a fair trial. "Political struggle must not be conducted through courts and prisons. We expect that the charges will be clarified transparently and that the procedure will be in accordance with the principles of the rule of law," said the spokesman of the German Ministry. He added that the same applies to those who were detained during the protest.
The spokesman announced that the Turkish ambassador was invited to the ministry for an interview. The government in Berlin has been trying to build good relations between the European Union and Turkey for years, the spokesperson pointed out.
"The latest events represent a bad signal for democracy in Turkey, but also for the further development of those relations," he warned.
He added that it is not known whether the Turkish foreign minister will participate in the consultations on Ukraine in Paris on Thursday. Despite the "negative tendencies" in Turkey, that country remains an important regional power and interlocutor, including on the issue of Ukraine. "It shows all the complexity of international relations," he concluded.
Protests against Imamoglu's arrest were also held in many German cities these days. In the picture - part of the protest in Cologne.
European Commission: "Preserve democratic values"
The European Commission called on Turkey to "preserve democratic values".
"We want Turkey to remain anchored in Europe, but that requires a clear commitment to democratic norms and practices," Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier told reporters. Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and a candidate for EU membership.
Imamoglu's party chose him as the presidential candidate
The Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's largest opposition party, has officially chosen Ekrem Imamoglu as its candidate in the 2028 presidential election. He is in pre-trial detention on corruption charges and has been ousted as mayor of Istanbul.
About 1,7 million CHP members in 81 Turkish provinces had the right to vote. As party president Ozgur Ozel announced on Sunday (March 23.3) to the participants of the demonstration in support of Imamoglu, around 1,6 million members voted for him as a candidate. Imamoglu was the only CHP candidate in the internal party elections.
Citizens who are not members of the party could cast their vote through the so-called solidarity boxes. According to the Istanbul city administration, a total of about 15 million people participated in the vote, with 13,2 million expressing their support for Imamoglu. And Ozel spoke of approximately 13 million symbolic votes for Imamoglu - after counting just over half of all votes from solidarity boxes. Turkey has about 85,6 million inhabitants.
Candidacy questionable despite great support
However, it is not clear whether Imamoglu will really be able to be an opponent of President Erdoğan. He will only become an official candidate if his candidacy is confirmed by Turkey's election commission, which is considered favorable to the government. Given the investigations that have been launched against him, that is uncertain.
Imamoglu was arrested last Wednesday along with more than 100 other suspects. There are two separate legal proceedings against him: one for corruption charges, and the other for alleged support for a terrorist organization.
If these actions continue, it is considered unlikely that the electoral commission will allow his candidacy for the presidential elections.
In addition, Imamoglu was stripped of his university degree last week, but the decision is not yet final. A university degree is a requirement for presidential candidacy in Turkey.
Removed from the post of mayor of Istanbul
On Sunday (March 23.3), the court sentenced him to pretrial detention in the proceedings due to alleged corruption. After that court decision, Imamoglu was transferred to a high-security prison in Silivri, about 70 kilometers west of Istanbul. According to the report of the correspondent of the German public service ARD, Uwe Lieb, about 80 other suspects from his entourage were brought there with him. A total of 106 suspects are being investigated in both cases.
Shortly after the court's decision, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior announced that Imamoglu would be "temporarily" removed from his position as mayor of Istanbul. Even before the Ministry's official announcement, the CHP announced that the Istanbul City Assembly would meet to appoint a temporary deputy mayor. In the announcement of the city administration, it was emphasized that the deputy will assume his duties only during the investigation.
Imamoglu rejected all the accusations against him, calling them "unthinkable accusations and slanders". And after he was sentenced to pre-trial detention, he again condemned the actions of the authorities. According to him, it is about "execution without trial".
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