Reuters. Hundreds of Turkish opposition supporters gathered in Istanbul on Wednesday (April 9) to protest against the arrest of dismissed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other officials from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
The rally was the first in a series of rallies that CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said his party would hold weekly in different parts of Istanbul and Turkey. The mayor of Sisli district, Resul Emrah Sahan, was removed from his position and replaced by a state-appointed trustee.
"We will not stop without getting results," Ozel said during the rally, likening Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his government to a junta rule.
Hundreds of thousands of Turks, including university students, have heeded opposition calls to protest since Imamoglu's detention on March 19. The protests have been mostly peaceful but nearly 2,000 people have been detained and around 300 of them jailed pending trial.
"We are trying to raise our voices on the streets against those who disregard and oppress the will of the people," said Ege Sevincli, a sociologist attending the rally. "Our right at the ballot box has been abolished. That is why we are on the streets."
