Erdoğan's main rival arrested in Türkiye
Photo: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (facebook.com/imamogluekrem)
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested in a case of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, according to a court decision, reports NTV.
The court session was held on Sunday, March 23, İmamoğlu testified in the morning, and his interrogation lasted about two hours. In total, 89 suspects are involved in the case. The prosecutor's office asked the court to arrest the defendants.
The court ordered the mayor of Istanbul to be taken into custody while the pre-trial investigation continues.
Protests in Türkiye
On March 19, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained in Türkiye. He is the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
İmamoğlu is suspected of corruption and aiding and abetting a terrorist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is considered a terrorist organization in Türkiye. The mayor of Istanbul denies the charges.
The arrest of the politician caused a wave of large-scale protests. They took place in Istanbul, Ankara, and other cities of Türkiye. Over 300 people were detained during the protests last night. The authorities warned that they “will not tolerate chaos and provocations.”
The social network X also blocked the accounts of users who disseminated information about the protests.
Read more about the reasons for the protests in Türkiye in RBC-Ukraine's article.
