Thousands rally in Istanbul for second night to protest against mayor İmamoğlu’s arrest
Prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of exploiting his position for financial gain, including the improper allocation of government contracts.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/20/thousands-rally-in-istanbul-for-second-night-to-protest-against-mayor-imamoglus-arrest
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Prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of exploiting his position for financial gain, including the improper allocation of government contracts.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/20/thousands-rally-in-istanbul-for-second-night-to-protest-against-mayor-imamoglus-arrest
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00Thousands of protesters gathered outside Istanbul City Hall for a second consecutive night to
00:06protest against the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
00:10The Istanbul mayor, a prominent political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
00:14was arrested after a dawn raid of his residence on Wednesday.
00:19He's being investigated for corruption, with prosecutors accusing him of exploiting his
00:23position for financial gain as well as terror links.
00:27But protesters believe the move is politically motivated.
00:42Opposition lawmakers have accused Erdogan of usurping the will of the people by attempting
00:46to eliminate his key political rival.
00:49This week, Istanbul University nullified Imamoglu's diploma, citing irregularities in his 1990
00:55transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus.
00:59The decision, if it holds, would bar the Istanbul mayor from running for president in the next
01:04election as the law requires the officeholder to possess a university degree.
01:09Students have rushed to Imamoglu's defense as concerns mount over the reliability of
01:13their own education.
01:26The main opposition Republican People's Party,
01:32CHP, to which Imamoglu belongs, say Erdogan's actions amount to a coup.
01:38The arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as a CHP presidential candidate
01:43in the party's Sunday primary.
01:46Erdogan vehemently rejects accusations leveled against him, denying any involvement in the
01:50judicial process, which he stresses is independent.
01:54But many protesters remain unconvinced and have vowed to continue their demonstrations.