Türkiye - April 10, 2025 A large rally was held in Istanbul for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and those arrested alongside him. In response to a call from Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, crowds gathered in front of Şişli Municipality, where a government-appointed trustee had replaced the elected mayor. Protesters demanded the immediate release of İmamoğlu as well as the detained mayors and bureaucrats. Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan was also among those arrested with İmamoğlu. Marching together to the rally site, the public frequently chanted İmamoğlu’s famous campaign slogan from when he was first elected mayor: “Everything will be very beautiful.” Protesters also called for the immediate release of hundreds of students who had been imprisoned for participating in demonstrations. CHP leader Özgür Özel spoke out against the injustice faced by İmamoğlu and the others, declaring Erdoğan a junta leader—a reference to a military coup figure. The crowd frequently booed Erdoğan throughout the rally. SPEECHS 00:35:14 - 01:02:11 Semra Kaplan: We’ve come to live in a country where lawlessness is increasing by the day and the judiciary has completely fallen under the control of the government. This situation has frightened not only us but also the youth and society at large. In fact, this has been a long buildup. People had reached a breaking point. İmamoğlu’s arrest accelerated the public’s move to take to the streets. 01:23:19 - 01:52:15 Fakir Yeşil: We must stand by our students. Right now, I feel as if I’m in the students’ place. If the youth in this country don’t take action, then democracy loses its meaning and cannot develop. We must support our youth, our students. They must be released immediately and allowed to return to their studies and universities. They are our future, and we will stand by them in every way possible. 02:16:19 - 03:11:17 Elvan Öztürk: We’re saddened by what happened to our mayor. I was truly upset. But there’s nothing to do for now. God willing, he will be released and double the number of votes he previously received. It’s always been this way. In the last election, his vote count multiplied by 20 due to the injustice he faced. The 15,000-vote margin in the first round of the election rose to 810,000 when it was re-run. In this election, I believe he will beat Erdoğan by at least two million votes. That’s why Erdoğan should watch his step. There’s no point in keeping a man behind bars for no reason. He’s being held there unjustly, without any crime. It’s a shame. The country is losing because of it. That’s why I want him to be released as soon as possible. 03:26:15 - 03:50:03 Ayşe Korkmaz: (Ekrem İmamoğlu) Should stand tall—we are behind him. We will always stand by him. We won’t give up, we won’t tire, and we will support him until the day he walks free. I love him dearly and send him all my love. Everything will be very beautiful. 04:05:28 - 05:04:26 CHP Genel Başkanı Özgür Özel: After reviewing the case file, we swiftly declared to the entire world that what is being done to Ekrem İmamoğlu is a coup, that his candidacy is being obstructed by the current president (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan)—with whom he would otherwise be in a predecessor-successor relationship—through the annulment of a diploma from 31 years ago, that he is being prosecuted in five separate cases with a total sentence demand of 25 years, that the file contains a MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) report as empty and meaningless as a napkin, and that the so-called secret witnesses are nothing more than logs named Meşe, Ladin, and Çınar.