Thousands gathered today in the city of Yozgat, central Turkey, which was organized by the main opposition force in Turkey, the Republican People's Party (CHP), in support of arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, reported the newspaper "Oksijen", quoted by BTA.
Today marks one month since the detention of Imamoglu and other mayors. On March 23, a court ordered Imamoglu to be placed under permanent arrest on corruption charges in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Imamoglu's arrest sparked mass protests in major cities in Turkey, which also resulted in clashes with police and hundreds of detainees. Imamoglu was officially nominated as the CHP's presidential candidate after his detention. Presidential elections are due in 2028 but could be held earlier, and Imamoglu's imprisonment is widely seen as politically motivated, although the government insists that Turkey's judiciary is independent and free from political influence, the AP notes.
The rally in the city of Yozgat is the second in a series that HDP leader Özgür Özel has announced he will hold every weekend in different districts in Turkey calling for Imamoglu's release under the slogan "The people stand by their will." The first protest was held last week in the Black Sea city of Samsun. Protests are also held every Wednesday in a different district of Istanbul.
The rally in Yozgat is also in support of local farmers who earlier organized a protest against the arrest of the Istanbul mayor, opposition TV Sozcu reported. According to the media, the square in Yozgat, where the rally is taking place, was blackened by people carrying flags and posters of Imamoglu, posters calling for the release of opposition presidential candidate Imamoglu and early elections. It is emphasized that people from different political forces are present at the rally.
Yozel arrived at the protest with a tractor, followed by a convoy of farmers with tractors, and together they traveled the distance of nearly 6 km to the rally site, Sözcü noted.
A letter from the arrested Imamoglu was read at the rally, which said: ”Millions of our citizens throughout Anatolia are warning the government, inviting it to the right path - the rich, the poor, the right, the left, the middle class, all are asking the government for the same thing. Listen to the nation, show respect for the people, do not trample on democracy. Do not undermine trust in the state and the law.
In his speech, Özzel said that the rally was one of the largest in the history of Yozgat, the Mediaskop portal pointed out.
"I saw that some people look down on, with arrogance, and see the villagers of Yozgat as ants and try to crush them. I warn the government from here: We will not allow you to crush those farmers who are as hardworking as ants. The ant has a brother and that is the Republican People's Party."
According to Özzel, İmamoğlu's arrest and the subsequent injustices have caused economic damage.
The city of Yozgat, with a population of about 500,000 people, is the center of the district of the same name, whose main livelihood is agriculture.
By 2024 Yozgat was a stronghold of the nationalist Nationalist Action Party of Devlet Bahçeli, an ally of Erdogan, but in the local elections, the pro-Islamist New Prosperity Party won by a surprising margin of nearly 7 percent, moving into opposition.
At the same time, in Istanbul, a large group of students gathered in Beyazit Square in front of Istanbul University to march to Saraçhane Square in support of the rally in Yozgat. There is a heavy police presence in the area, Turkish media reported.
The Istanbul Governorship has ordered the temporary closure of the metro stations in central Istanbul - Taksim, Sishane and Kabatas - from 3 p.m. today until further notice.
The main opposition People's Party (PKK) is organizing a march in support of Palestine today at 7 p.m., which was banned by the city authorities, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.