Thousands of supporters of the suspended Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoğlu, gathered at the city's Sarachane Square on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of his detention. They were protesting against his arrest and detention over charges including espionage and corruption in March 2025.
Supporters of Imamoğlu also gathered at the Marmara High-Security Prison in the Silivri district of Istanbul, where he has been held after he was officially relieved of his duties on March 23, 2025.
The trial of Imamoğlu and about 400 people is underway as prosecutors seek a jail term of more than 2,000 years over 140 alleged charges, including corruption and running a criminal organisation.
Protesters at the Silivri prison on Wednesday told the press that "he is our future presidential candidate,". Another man stated, "I am here for my own future and for democracy."
A delegation of European mayors also travelled to Istanbul in solidarity with Imamoğlu.
Eiril Lae Solberg, the governing mayor of Oslo, told the Dutch news agency DW that "he is clearly jailed because the government in Türkiye sees him as a dangerous challenger."
"He had a very good chance of winning the elections; therefore, they imprisoned him." he added.
The president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, insists the judiciary is independent and said the investigations into Imamoğlu are routine.
According to Erdoğan, "the investigation in Istanbul concerns a criminal organisation unprecedented in the history of the republic. Its action threatens national security by revealing organised corruption and extortion."
This message from Erdoğan resonates with his supporters, and they asked that the judiciary be allowed to make the decision.
One potential obstacle to Imamoğlu running in the next presidential election is an announcement from Istanbul University announcing it had revoked Imamoğlu's degree due to alleged irregularities.
Imamoğlu's lawyers said they would appeal the decision since the Turkish law states presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.
Ekrem Imamoğlu, born in 1970, became actively involved in politics in 2008 when he joined the Republican People's Party (CHP).
He was elected Mayor of Beylikdüzü, west of Istanbul, in 2014, garnering 50.8% of the vote.
He was elected into office as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on 31 March and again on 23 June, 2019.
He got married in 1995, and has three children.
He is a self-proclaimed ardent lover of sports and has served as the manager of managers at Trabzonspor Football Club, Trabzonspor Basketball Club, and Beylikdüzüspor Club.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the United States and Iran left peace talks in Islamabad without reaching an agreement early on Sunday, as negoti...
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian offi...
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Be...
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orb&aac...
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection wit...
Ankara Provincial Chair of Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP), Ümit Erkol, has been detained as part of a corruption investigation linked to a cooperative in İzmir, Turkish media reported.
Eurasia is no longer a passive space shaped by great powers but an active arena of contestation involving multiple overlapping conflicts and competing connectivity projects.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, which have left hundreds dead - mostly civilians - over the past 48 hours, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has instructed his cabinet to begin direct peace talks with Lebanon.
Some geographies are small on the map yet immense in history. The Strait of Hormuz is one. About a quarter of global oil trade and a fifth of LNG flows pass through this narrow corridor - around 20 million barrels per day sustaining the global system.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held their highest-level talks in half a century in Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to end their six-week war, as President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Donald Trump’s flagship plan for post-war Gaza has come under scrutiny after reports that its financing is falling short of expectations, claims firmly rejected by the White House-backed Board of Peace.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held their highest-level talks in half a century in Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to end their six-week war, as President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iraqi parliament on Saturday elected Kurdish politician Nizar Amedi as the country's new president, following a parliamentary election last November.
Talks between the United States and Iran opened in Islamabad on Saturday (11 April) as the two sides sought to turn a fragile temporary ceasefire into a lasting agreement, amid disputes over Lebanon and sanctions relief.
Kazakhstan and Armenia are moving to deepen bilateral ties as shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus reopen long-blocked transport routes and create new economic opportunities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment