Erdogan: Protests over Imamoglu arrest "street terrorism”

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned protests triggered by the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, warning that the government would “not back down.”

“Turkiye will not bow to street terrorism,” Erdogan said, after the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) called for nationwide rallies in response to Imamoglu’s detention.

Protests broke out in Istanbul after Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and potential presidential challenger, was arrested along with 106 others in connection with a wide-ranging corruption investigation.

Imamoglu faces charges including leading and participating in a criminal organization, blackmail, bribery, aggravated fraud, illegal access to personal data, bid rigging, and aiding a terrorist group, according to Turkish authorities.

Earlier, in a message posted on X, Imamoglu urged citizens to speak out, saying the issue went beyond party politics. “As a nation, we must stand united against this evil,” he wrote. “This is my call to my people: Our nation is greater.”

He also addressed members of the judiciary, appealing to “tens of thousands of honorable and ethical prosecutors and judges” to act against what he described as a “handful of your colleagues who are tarnishing our judiciary, humiliating us on the global stage, and destroying our reputation."

You embarked on this journey with nothing but a ring on your finger, yet now you bear countless stains for which you cannot account, whether at home or abroad. With these burdens, you aim for my whole existence, hard work, and endeavour that I and my family have built over three…

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (International) (@imamoglu_int) March 20, 2025