Protests in Turkey Against Verdict for Istanbul Mayor

On December 15, thousands of Turkish residents held a protest against the sentence imposed on Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is seen as a rival to the country’s current president in the upcoming 2023 elections. According to Reuters, the gathered crowd chanted slogans criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Demonstrators gathered in front of the Istanbul municipality draped in flags, accompanied by patriotic songs. Leaders of opposition political parties spoke at a rally held in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul. Specifically, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the president of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), who interrupted his trip to Germany due to the verdict, assured those present, “Do not worry, we will come to power.”

Commenting on the ruling, he stated that “justice has now become a fundamental issue in Turkey.” İmamoğlu himself called the court’s decision “deeply unlawful” and “evidence that there is no justice in today’s Turkey.” He urged voters to “respond” to this ruling in the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2023.

“I believe society will build a common future. I am not afraid of the decisions they impose. I am very lucky; behind me are the people of Istanbul, 16 million Istanbulites are behind me,” said the Istanbul mayor to his supporters. Announcing today’s rally, he wrote on his Twitter, “The verdict is an attack on the will of millions of Istanbul residents who democratically elected their city’s mayor three years ago.”