The deposed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has called on his supporters to rally tonight in the Istanbul district of Sisli to mark 200 days since he was taken into custody on corruption charges, which he and his supporters deny as politically motivated, BTA reported.
The mayor of Istanbul from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was detained on March 19 on corruption charges, and on March 23 he was placed in pretrial detention and temporarily removed from office. A number of municipal officials were also detained as part of the investigation into corruption in the Istanbul Greater Municipality. The arrests, which the opposition calls a "coup against the will of the people", have sparked a wave of protests, the largest in Turkey since 2013.
At the same time, Imamoglu was chosen as the official candidate of the HDP for the 2028 presidential elections in Turkey.
"Exactly 200 days have passed since the coup against the will of the people. Our nation resisted the coup with all its might and continues to resist," writes the profile on X of Imamoglu's presidential candidate headquarters.
The detained mayor invites his supporters to gather today at 8:30 p.m. for a rally with the participation of HDP chairman Özgür Özel in front of a shopping mall in the Şişli district of Istanbul. Özel also called on people to join the demonstration tonight.
"It has been 200 days and we are in the midst of injustice and wrongdoing. Since that day, we have been resisting together with the people in the squares!", Özel said, quoted by "Cumhuriyet". "The conscience, hope and courage of the people will prevail. We will win. Turkey will win!", the HDP leader added.
Ekrem İmamoğlu is being investigated on charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, corruption, irregularities in tenders and violations of personal data. Considered the most serious opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he rejects all allegations against him as politically motivated.