Thousands gathered in İstanbul's Esenyurt to protest the removal of district mayor Ahmet Özer following his arrest and on terrorism-related charges and subsequent removal from office.
Özer, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a distinguished academic, was detained in a raid on his residence early yesterday and later remanded in custody. He is formally charged with being a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group.
The Interior Ministry suspended Özel and appointed a trustee in his place early today.
In response to these developments, CHP leadership, including party head Özgür Özel and İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, held an emergency meeting at CHP’s Esenyurt office before leading a mass rally in the district. The demonstration was also attended by Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, which had endorsed Özer in the local elections.
The rally began at 4 pm, with thousands of CHP and DEM supporters, labor unions, civil society groups, and residents joining the protest. Crowds chanted slogans like “We’ll win through unity,” “Justice, rights, and law,” “Government resign,” and “Early elections.”
‘A political coup’
Özgür Çelik, CHP’s İstanbul provincial chair, opened the rally by stating, “We are here to defend justice and oppose the appointment of trustees.”
Speaking after him, DEM’s Hatimoğulları reminded the recent debate initiated by the ruling bloc about a potential new peace process and criticized Özer’s removal as contradictory to those efforts. “If the government claims to support internal peace, then why target a municipality that already embodies peace and harmony?” she asked.
“What you did today is an assault on Esenyurt’s unity,” she added, calling the Interior Ministry’s move a “political coup.”
Esenyurt'ta kayyıma karşı miting
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🗣️ DEM Parti Eş Genel Başkanı Tülay Hatimoğulları: "İç barıştan bahsediyorsunuz, Esenyurt halkının iç barışına operasyon yapıyorsunuz. Dün bir siyasi darbe gerçekleştirilmiştir." pic.twitter.com/OqiHhoUABA
İmamoğlu: We won’t back down
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu condemned the decision, describing it as part of a “dirty scheme” aimed at undermining local democracy. “They have labeled Ahmet Özer as a terrorist and handed Esenyurt over to a trustee based on fabricated pretenses,” he said. “We are here to warn those who disrespect the people’s will. We will not back down.”
İmamoğlu emphasized that all citizens should respect democratic rights and freedoms, adding, “The solutions to both poverty and terrorism lie in respecting national will.”
'He won with nearly half the vote'
CHP leader Özgür Özel closed the rally, highlighting Özer’s credentials as an academic and respected community figure. “When we selected Ahmet Özer as a candidate, it was because he resonated with Esenyurt’s unique social landscape,” he said. “He won with nearly half the vote in Turkey’s largest district, and today, Esenyurt is united, saying ‘Ahmet is not alone.’”
Özel recounted the events of Özer’s detention, criticizing the authorities for their methods. “They raided his home at 5 am, barging through the door and waking him in his own bedroom,” he said. “The officials acted in a way that disregards dignity, and this mistreatment will be remembered.”
He also condemned the police actions at the municipality. “They used a sledgehammer to break the municipal office doors while preventing lawyers from witnessing the search,” Özel said, adding that the lack of legal oversight during the raid violated the principles of due process.
Who is Ahmet Özer, the arrested mayor of İstanbul's Esenyurt district?
(RT/VK)
