Hundreds arrested in Turkey in protests against the detention of Istanbul’s mayor : NPR

Istanbul – In early Sunday, prosecutors requested that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top challenger Istanbul Mayor Akim Amoglo was detained, formally arresting allegations of corruption and terrorism.

A court is now ready to decide whether the opposition’s popular data will be charged and jailed for postponement of the trial.

This week, the arrest of Amogloo has intensified political tensions and has given rise to mass protests across Turkey, and protesters raided several cities to voice their opposition.

Many people see his arrest as a political attempt to remove Amoglo from the next presidential race, which is currently scheduled in 2028. Government officials reject the allegation and say Turkish courts are free.

Police questioned Amoglo for about five hours on Saturday. A day earlier, he was questioned for four hours on corruption charges. The mayor dismissed all the allegations during both investigations.

He was later transferred to a courtroom for questioning with prosecutors, as well as detained.

Authorities banned access to the court house using obstacles on local roads and closing nearby metro stations. Hundreds of police officers and more than a dozen water cannons were deployed. Still, hundreds of building gathered in front of the building: “Rights, law, justice!”

The greatest wave of protests in Turkey over a decade

For more than a decade, in the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey, Istanbul gathered outside the city hall or took to the streets to condemn the mayor’s resignation, in the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey for more than a decade.

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, but a group of protesters were trying to break the barricades to reach the central square of Istanbul, throwing stones at the police, throwing stones and other items, which responded to a black pepper spray. Some protesters said rubber bullets were fired.

Inkara used water cannons and tear gas for police protesters.

Interior Minister Ali Yarlaikia said 323 people were detained after a Saturday night protest. Earlier, he said: “There will be no tolerance for those who try to violate the social order, threaten the peace and security of the people and seek chaos and provocation.”

In response to arrests, protests

Amogloo was detained on Wednesday after Dawn raided his residence on allegations of financial crimes and Kurdish militants. Dozens of other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.

On Friday, in Istanbul, police used black pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets to push hundreds of protesters back, trying to break an obstacle in front of the city’s historic water, while officers threw flames, stones and other items. Opposition Republican Peoples Party leader, Ozgur Ozil, also dispersed the rally outside the City Hall for the third night after speaking in support of the mayor.

According to television photos, at the same time, police broke the demonstrations in the capital Ankara, and the Aegian coastal city of Izmir, according to television photos, resorted to tremendous steps. Thousands of people have demanded the government to resign in several other cities.

Earlier, Erdogan had said that the government would not tolerate street protests and would accuse the opposition party of corruption and terrorism organizations.

The Istanbul governor’s office has announced that it is expanding the ban on protests until March 26 and people are “likely to participate in illegal activities.”

Erdogan on Saturday accused the CHP leadership of “eliminating a handful of municipal robbers to turn the party into an apparatus that has been blinded by money.”

He also accused him of “to do everything to upset public peace, to polarize the nation”.

The Presidential Primary is to be held

The arrest of Amoglo was a few days before the opposition was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party in a primary on Sunday. Ozel has said that primary, where about 1.5 million delegates can vote, will move forward according to the plan.

The opposition party has also called on citizens to participate in a symbolic election on Sunday.

In a tweet published shortly before arriving at the courthouse, Amogloo urged the public to protect the ballot boxes for Sunday’s primary, “Don’t forget: They are very afraid of you and your democratic vote.”

In a previous message, Amoglov described his arrest as a “rebellion” and accused the government of exploiting the judiciary and destroying the country’s troubled economy.