Protest in Turkey continued for the sixth consecutive night as thousands of people gathered on the streets of Istanbul to voice their dissent against the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu. The Mayor of Istanbul was detained on March 19, formally arrested, and jailed five days later on corruption charges.
Demonstrations have been held across Turkey, in 51 of the country’s 81 provinces, sparking clashes with riot police and drawing international condemnation. The Council of Europe, a pan-European rights body, called on the government of Turkey to allow people to freely protest and expressed concerns about the authorities using disproportionate force.
Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, said concerns have been raised about widespread restrictions on the right to receive and impart information in Turkey in the context of the protests. He urged Turkish authorities to uphold human rights obligations and respect for freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and media freedom.
Turkish police have arrested more than 1,130 people over the past six days, including 43 on Monday night. There have also been reports of 10 Turkish journalists, including an AFP photographer, being arrested for covering the protests.
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Turkey President Blames Opposition Party For Protests
President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the protests ‘evil’ and said it had become a ‘movement of violence’. He blamed the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for the uprising. Erdogan called on the CHP to stop provoking citizens.
“The main opposition is responsible for the injured police officers, the broken windows of our shopkeepers, and the damaged public property. They will be held accountable for all this, politically in parliament and legally by the judiciary.”
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel also called on the protesters to refrain from insulting mothers and families. He said their political struggle and opposition are conducted with decency and dignity. Ozel urged politicians not to exploit the reprehensible actions of a few to delegitimize the broader protest movement.
He called for continued protests, saying whoever Erdogan unjustly puts in jail, the square will defend them for democracy, and for Turkey.
