Imamoglu in Hausarrest: Is Turkish democracy in danger?

Imamoglu in Hausarrest: Is Turkish democracy in danger?

Istanbul, Türkei - In Turkey, it is bubbling after the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu. His arrested fate has triggered nationwide protests in which, according to the Interior Ministry, over 343 people were involved. In Istanbul alone, the opposition reported 300,000 demonstrators, who stood against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's policy. In the protests, there were confrontational clashes in which rubber bullets and water cannons were used to dispers the crowd, such as Vol.at reported.

Imamoglu, a prominent rival of long -time president Erdoğan, is under severe allegations such as corruption and support of terrorism in connection with alleged connections to the forbidden PKK. He vehemently denies these accusations formulated by the Ministry of Justice. The University of Istanbul also revoked the conclusion due to alleged “obvious mistakes”, which could possibly prevent him from a candidacy for the 2028 presidential election. Despite his arrest, Imamoglu is to be officially chosen as a presidential candidate for his party on Sunday. The arrested demonstrators represent a broad social basis that opposes the government's procedure, such as Tagesspiegel.de additionally informed.

The Interior Ministry reacted to the restless situation with a clear warning: "If you are looking for chaos and provocation, you will not be tolerated." The pressure on social media has increased, with many arrests of users who are critical of the government and a large number of accounts have been blocked. Erdoğan has referred to the protests as a “street terror” and rejects all attempts to present the investigation against Imamoglu as politically motivated. In the next few days it will be shown how the situation will develop, especially if courts have to decide on the release of imamoglus.