Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu is facing detainment just days ahead of launching his campaign to become the president of Turkey.
Imamoglu, the presumptive Republican People’s Party candidate and prominent rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was among more than 100 politicians, journalists, and other public individuals detained this week in a sweeping series of arrests.
“The will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts,” the account belonging to Imamoglu said Wednesday on social media. “I stand resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens of Türkiye and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide. I stand firm in my fight for the fundamental rights and freedoms.”
The mayor was arrested on charges of aiding the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, bribery, and fraud, with prosecutors calling him a “criminal organization leader suspect,” according to the BBC.
Erdogan’s spree of detainments and arrests sparked outrage among members of the public supportive of his opposition party, who protested outside the Istanbul city hall on Wednesday.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said Erdogan had no role in the detainment campaign, calling it “impudence” to “associate the investigations and cases initiated by the judiciary with our president.”
“Separation of powers is fundamental in our country with its legislative, executive, and judicial branches,” he said, according to Politico EU. “The judiciary does not take orders or instructions from anyone.”
Around the same time as his arrest, Istanbul University named Imamoglu one of 28 students who participated in its English-language program in 1990 whose accreditation contained “clear errors.” The mayor was stripped of his diploma, which will make him ineligible for the presidency.
Imamoglu rejected the decision as further sabotage against his political campaign and a violation of universities’ role as “sacred spaces” in Turkey.
He declared his intention to fight the decisions but expressed “no faith” that the judiciary would make fair decisions.
“Istanbul University has made a legally baseless decision to annul my diploma, an act beyond its authority and a troubling sign of political interference in academia,” Imamoglu said.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE PRO-TURKEY BUT NOT PRO-HAMAS?
“This is not about me. This is about our future. No matter the challenges we face, we will not waver. We will not allow democracy to be undermined. We will not allow the will of the people to be overruled,” he continued.
The Republican People’s Party primary election is scheduled for March 23.