Students collide with the police about detention of the mayor of Istanbul
Reuters reports that Turkey Istanbul -Mayor Ekrem Ømamoğlu, the most important rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has held on accusation of corruption and a terrorist group helps in what the most important opposition party “called a state”. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is confronted with criticism of what critics say is a performance against political figures of opposition after the police have his most important rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Ømamoğlu, had accusation of corruption and ties with terrorism.
The headquarters of the Chief Public Public Public has issued detention assignments for ′mamoğlu and 106 other prominent political figures. The suspects would have committed offenses, including bribery, embezzlement, bids, worsened fraud and illegal acquisition of personal data.
̇Mamoğlu was accused of cooperation with the forbidden Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a Kurdish nationalist group that led a rebellion against the Turkish state and is considered by Turkey, the US and the European Union as a terrorist group.
Bipartisan legislation tries to curb the turkey of Erdoğan about ties with American enemies
Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem ●Mamoğlu (Aziz Karimov/Getty images/file)
Critics remain suspicious of the arrest of a prominent opposition figure, especially at a time when Erdoğan’s statement Justice and Development (AKP) Party has run losses in local elections in the past year.
“The arrest of Ømamoğlu is no coincidence. He is the political nemesis of Erdoğan, and his likely candidacy to run against him for the presidency has weighed on Erdoğan’s spirit,” Sinan Ciddi, not -told Senior Fellow, Foundation for Fundering.
People protest on the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Ømamoğlu in Istanbul on March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ciddi warned that the detention of political opponents represents the end point of Turkey as a democracy, and claims that free and honest elections and peaceful transfer of power are no longer possible.
Turkish officials pushed back on accusations that the wave of arrests was politically motivated.
A spokesperson for the Turkish embassy in Washington referred Fox News Digital to a statement from the Ministry of Justice.
“Trying to associate judicial investigations and matters with our president is to say the least an act of courage and irresponsibility,” wrote the Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç.
People protest on the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Ømamoğlu in Istanbul on March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
“In our country, the separation of powers – legislative, executive and judicial – is a fundamental principle. The judiciary does not accept any orders from someone,” added the statement.
Ømamoğlu thanked world leaders and members of the European Parliament In a post on X and promised to continue to fight for Turkey’s democracy.
“I am resolutely and trust myself not only the 16 million inhabitants of Istanbul, but also to the 86 million inhabitants of Türkiye and all who maintain democracy and justice worldwide. I am stuck in my struggle for fundamental rights and freedoms.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AP/Emrah Gurel/File)
Ømamoğlu, member of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP)was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. In both elections he defeated Erdoğan-Supported AKP opponents. He was seen as the likely nominee of the CHP for Erdoğan to be planned for the following presidential elections before 2028, or is mentioned early as elections.
Authorities placed a ban on public demonstrations for four days in an attempt to suppress a growing return to the arrests. Özgür Özel, chairman of the CHP, the most important opposition party of Turkey, appealed to major demonstrations in Istanbul and called for a mass protest to resist what the opposition sees as a flagrant violation of democratic norms.
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In response to the arrest, the Istanbul University Annulled endr has a diploma, a movement that would forbid him to walk for president, according to Turkish law, which requires the president to have a university diploma. ❖ Mamoğlu said that the law was outside the university’s authority and a disturbing sign of political interference in the academic world.
Soner Cagaptay, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, said in a position on X that Erdoğan was originally catapulted in political star as the then mayor of Istanbul in 1999 when he was locked up to accelerate the incitement to religious hatred, only to see his popularity to be popularity.
