EU commission urges Turkiye to respect people's right to demonstrate
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The spokesperson for the European Commission says Turkiye must respect the people's right to demonstrate amid mass protests over the arrest of Istanbul's mayor.
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A riot police officer kicks a protester as they clash during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkiye, Sunday, March 23, 2025 (AP)
The European Commission has called on Turkiye to uphold democratic values and respect the right of its citizens to peaceful demonstrations, European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said on Monday.
The statement follows remarks by Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who earlier in the day announced that over 1,100 protesters had been detained across the country since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu last Wednesday.
"As a Council of Europe member and EU candidate, Turkey must uphold democratic values. These rights, the rights of elected officials, as well as the right of the peaceful demonstrations need to be fully respected," Mercier stated during a midday briefing.
Imamoglu, who is widely regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger in the 2028 presidential election, was detained on allegations of links to an organization involved in corruption, bribery, and aiding terrorism. However, prosecutors' efforts to secure his formal arrest in the terrorism probe were rejected.
His detention has ignited widespread protests across Turkiye, with demonstrators defying government-imposed security measures and a ban on rallies in Istanbul that remains in place through Sunday.
15 million people vote for Imamoglu
Istanbul’s recently deposed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was detained early Wednesday, sparking nationwide protests, after a symbolic opposition primary drew an overwhelming turnout in his support.
The primary, organized by Turkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), saw around 15 million people cast their votes, according to the municipality.
"Out of a total of 15 million votes, 13,211,000 were solidarity votes from non-party members," the municipality stated, highlighting broad public backing for Imamoglu.
The event, which was meant to officially position him as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race, took place just hours before an Istanbul court formalized his arrest in a corruption probe.
Observers believe the looming primary prompted the legal action against Imamoglu, who is widely regarded as the strongest challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The move comes as Imamoglu faces allegations of involvement with a network accused of corruption, bribery, and assisting terrorism. Although a court declined to approve a terrorism-related arrest request, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office plans to challenge that ruling. The final say now rests with the Constitutional Court, local media outlet Sabah reported.
