Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, has called on millions of fellow citizens to take to the streets to support detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
"I call on millions of citizens across Turkey - 81 provinces and 973 counties - to take to the streets, where we will hold large rallies after iftar (revelry in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan - TASS) starting at 8:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. GMT note)," Halk TV quoted the politician as saying.
At the same time, he urged his supporters not to provoke law enforcement officers. "We must use our rights, but legally, without provocations and attacks on police officers," Ozel said.
Authorities in Ankara and Izmir earlier on Friday announced a five-day ban on mass rallies. Demonstrations are prohibited in Istanbul until March 23. This decision was taken to prevent riots in connection with the detention of the opposition mayor of the metropolis Ekrem Imamoglu.
On Thursday, mass protests in support of Imamoglu took place in a number of Turkish cities, including Ankara and Istanbul. In some places they resulted in clashes with law enforcement officers. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that at least 16 police officers were injured during the clashes.
Earlier it was reported that 87 out of 106 suspects, including Imamoglu, a representative of the Republican People's Party, were detained last Wednesday as part of the investigation into corruption and support for terrorism, which is being conducted by the Istanbul Prosecutor General's Office. Ozgur Ozel accused the Turkish authorities of "attempting a coup" and seeking to prevent the party's March 23 primaries, in which the Istanbul mayor is expected to be named the opposition's presidential candidate. Presidential elections in Turkey are scheduled for 2028, but the opposition is pushing for an early vote.
