The leader of Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party, Özer, stated today that they will continue to protest against President Erdoğan's detention of his main political rival, former Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu. This wave of protests, the largest in a decade, was sparked by İmamoğlu being charged with corruption on March 19. The protests have garnered support from various opposition parties, European leaders, and human rights organizations, who accuse the arrests of being politicized and anti-democratic. Although the government denies any judicial influence, Özer announced that the Republican People's Party will launch protests in various cities every weekend and will hold a rally in Istanbul on the 9th. Hundreds of thousands of people have responded; while the protests have generally been peaceful, nearly 2,000 people have been detained, with about 300 facing pre-trial imprisonment. After being elected as party leader, Özer reiterated calls for early elections, pointing out that İmamoğlu has higher public support than Erdoğan. Furthermore, the Republican People's Party has initiated a petition demanding İmamoğlu's release and early elections, which has already garnered over 7 million signatures of support.
