Authorities in Turkey have arrested the mayor of Istanbul, days before he was to be chosen as a presidential candidate. Ekrem Imamoglu, from the Republican People's Party, is widely seen as one of the strongest political rivals to the country's current leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Prosecutors accuse him of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, calling him “a suspected leader of a criminal organization,” A2 CNN writes. Authorities detained 100 suspects, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, as part of the investigation, while the Istanbul Governor imposed 4 days of restrictions on the city. Imamoglu stressed that he will continue to fight because the voice of the people cannot be silenced.
"I regret to say that a handful of minds trying to usurp the will of our people have used my beloved police, the security forces of this country, as a tool for this evil, and have gathered hundreds of police officers in my house. Let my entire nation know that I will continue to fight against that person and his mind who uses this entire process as an apparatus," Imamoglu said.
The arrest comes as part of a wave of crackdowns on opposition figures in Turkey in recent months. Critics have condemned the move as politically motivated. But President Erdogan, who has been in power for 22 years, and his party have denied the allegations, saying the judiciary is independent. Meanwhile, the leader of the main opposition party, of which Mayor Imamoglu is a member, said the arrest was a “clear coup attempt.” (A2 Televizion)
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