Nöbetçi Eczaneler
Prosecutors ordered that Ekrem Imamoglu and about 100 other people be detained, state-run media reported. Istanbul’s mayor is a high-profile member of the opposition.
Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s mayor and a high-profile member of the opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested along with 79 other people on Wednesday, state-run media reported.
The chief public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said in a statement that Imamoglu and others faced allegations such as being members of a criminal organization, bribery, aggravated fraud and unlawful acquisition of personal data. He is accused of using his position to lead profit-making schemes, including improperly awarding inflated or fictitious tenders for government works.
Imamoglu is also accused of aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant Kurdish group considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and others, through his alleged links to the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), an alliance of left-wing and pro-Kurdish groups, the statement said.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), of which Imamoglu is a prominent member, called his arrest “a coup against the nation’s will.”
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In a social media statement, Imamoglu said that “the will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts.”
“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,” he said.
He released a video on his X account, filmed before his detention, rejecting the allegations. “We are facing a great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not yield,” he said, adding that “I entrust myself to my nation.”