Pro-democracy demonstrators return to the streets of Istanbul for a huge rally

Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators returned to the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, in support of the city’s imprisoned mayor.

Ekrem Imamoglu, which is considered the main political rival of the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested for corruption last week, causing mass demonstrations.

He denies the accusations and claims that his arrest is politically motivated. Imamoglu is currently detained in isolation in a high security prison on the outskirts of Istanbul.

The crowds on Saturday were so large, they spread on the demonstration site in a neighboring park. The President of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) of Imamoglu addressed the demonstrators, reading a letter from the imprisoned politician.

“I am not afraid, you are behind me and by my side. I am not afraid because the nation is united. The nation is united against the oppressor,” said Reuters that the letter indicated. He was accompanied by a video generated by the AI ​​of Imamoglu reading his letter from a prison cell.

The wife of Imamoglu, Dilek, was also at the demonstration and told the crowd: “We will continue to fight and fight.”

Gathered under a cloudless blue sky, the demonstrators agitated the red and white flags of Turkey and sang: “Rights, law, justice!”

Imamoglu has been the mayor of Istanbul since 2019 and has won a resounding victory in the mayor’s elections last year.

He is widely considered as the only Turkish politician capable of challenging Erdogan and his justice and development party – also known as AK – during the ballot box.

A series of huge pro-democracy demonstrations has confusing the country since the arrest of Imamoglu earlier this month.

They also feared that Hey will not face a free and fair trial when his case is heard in court.

The government denied that the arrest of Imamoglu was politically motivated and insisted that the Turkish courts are fully independent.

Erdogan said that the demonstrations equivalent to “street terrorism”Accusing the demonstrators of having attacked the police and damaging public property.

On some occasions, the riot police tried to disperse these demonstrations using shortcomings and rubber bullets.