Turkey relaxes 37 on “provocative” publications on social networks after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul

Istanbul (AP) Thousands of people gathered at the town hall of Istanbuls for a second night on Thursday to come together against the Arrest of the mayor of citiesthat many consider a politically motivated attempt to remove a key rival from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the next presidential race.

Mayor Immamogl ecrem was arrested on Wednesday during a dawn raid at his residence for alleged ties of corruption and terrorism, degenerating a repression On opposition figures and dissident voices. Several other leading figures, including two district mayors, have also been detained.

The detention of the chief of the popular opposition deepened the concerns concerning democracy and triggered demonstrations in Istanbul and elsewhere, despite road closings and a four -day ban on demonstrations in the city.

He also caused a shock wave on the financial market, triggering temporary stops in trade Wednesday to prevent the sale of panic.

Addressing the rally in front of the Town Hall, Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Republican peoples, or CHP, called on the supporters to go down to the street to claim their rights without resorting to violence. Yes, I call people on the street, he said.

Mansur Yavas, the mayor of the capital Ankara and another popular opposition figure, joined the rally, calling for all the opposition parties to unite their forces against injustices.

Police blocked a group of young people who tried to break a barricade in order to walk towards Taksim, the central place of Istanbul and used pepper gas to break them. In Ankara, the police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse a demonstration at the prestigious technical university of the Middle East of the city. Demonstrations also broke out in the cities of Adana and Izmir.

The Interior Ministry said six police officers were injured in scuffle with demonstrators in Istanbul.

Erdogan's party rejects accusations of interference

Critics see repression as an Erdogan effort to extend its rule for more than two decades following significant losses of the part of the local elections last year. Government representatives reject the allegations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that the courts operate independently.

Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the power of justice and the development of Erdogan, challenged the allegations of the opposition according to which the detentions were orchestrated by the government and exhorted respect for the judicial process.

What a politician should do is follow the legal process, Celik told journalists. None of us have information on the content of the file (criminal).

He also rejected the charges accumulated by the main party of the Republican People of the Opposition, or CHP, that the arrest of the mayors was equivalent to a state of state, the name of our party, our president can only be associated with democracy on the other side of a coup.

In his first comments on the mayor's detention, Erdogan accused the opposition of not having responded to allegations of corruption with evidence or legal arguments.

“The opposition never responds to the allegations presented by the judiciary,” said Erdogan. Instead, they limit the question to political slogans, using the easy way to cause their base and deceive the public.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the authorities have held dozens of people for sharing provocative content on social networks related to the mayor's detention.

The authorities identified 261 accounts of social media which shared posts which would have encouraged hatred or public crime, including 62 which are managed by people based abroad, Yerlikaya wrote on X. At least 37 of the alleged owners were detained and the efforts to hold other suspects continued.

The arrest of Imamoglu intervened only a few days before he was nominated as a presidential candidate of the Party of the Republican Peoples of the Opposition in a primary planned for Sunday. The leader of the parties said that the primary will take place as planned.

Germany calls arrest a bad sign

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern in the face of the detention of mayors, saying that it was a very, very bad sign for turkey relations with the European Union.

Scholz said it was depressing for democracy in Türkiye, but also depressing the relationship between Europe and Turkey.

We can only ask that this ends immediately and that the opposition and the government stand in competition with each other, not the opposition translated into justice, he said.

Prosecutors accused Imamoglu of having exploited its position as a financial gain, including the poor distribution of government contracts.

In a separate investigation, prosecutors also accuse Imamoglu of having helped the Kurdistan workers' party outside the law, or PKK, allegedly forming an alliance with Kurdish groups for the municipal elections of Istanbul. The PKK, behind a several decades insurrection in Türkiye, is appointed a terrorist organization of Ankara, Washington and other allies.

It was not clear when the authorities begin to question the mayor, who can be detained without accusation up to four days. Analysts say that Imamoglu could be withdrawn from his functions and replaced by a fiduciary mayor if he is officially responsible for links to the PKK.

Imamoglu faces other charges

Before his detention, Imamoglu has already faced several criminal cases which could cause prison terms and a political ban. He also appealed to a conviction in 2022 for insulting members of the Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could lead to a political ban.

This week, a university canceled his diplomaCiting alleged irregularities in its 1990 transfer from a private university in the north of Cyprus to its business faculty, an Imamoglu decision said it would dispute. The decision effectively prevents him from presenting himself to the presidency, because the position requires that the candidates be university graduates.

Imamoglu was elected mayor of the largest cities of Turkeys in March 2019, a historic blow to Erdogan and the Presidents' Party of Justice and Development, who had checked Istanbul for a quarter of a century. Erdogan's party prompted to cancel the results of the municipal elections in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge led to a rehearsal of the elections a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his headquarters following the local elections last year, during which his party made important gains against the power party of Erdogans.

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Fraser reported to Ankara, Turkey. Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.