Breaking News: Özgür Özel launches new campaign from İmamoğlu's hometown, Trabzon! 96-year-old Aunt Rukiye signs first

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made statements following the holiday prayer.

Özel, who is in Trabzon, the hometown of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is currently imprisoned in Silivri Prison, stated the following:

"We celebrate the Ramadan Bayram of all our citizens. Every holiday morning, I perform the holiday prayer and celebrate in my own hometown, but this holiday we are all together in Trabzon, the hometown of our presidential candidate, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu. Because he is currently being held in Silivri Prison.

As a result of a great injustice and slander, they are holding İmamoğlu and many of our friends in Silivri Prison as political prisoners. Unfortunately, while the holiday is a sacred time when all of Turkey unites, embraces, and forgets grievances, our country is being forced to experience a great division this holiday.

With a process that began on March 19, İmamoğlu, a son of these lands, has been distanced from those who love him. Today, we have all come together to his village, where he could not come.

We celebrated the holiday with his fellow townspeople, and we have come here to launch a major campaign. When I stepped out of the mosque, my 96-year-old Aunt Rukiye came up. She said, “I didn't sleep at all last night, I waited for the morning, I came to see you and to be the first to sign for my son Ekrem.”

We will receive this meaningful and important signature here from Aunt Rukiye for the first time. Then, this petition campaign will spread in waves from his fellow villagers and the people of Trabzon to all of Turkey. We are launching this petition campaign for Mayor Ekrem's freedom and for Turkey to reach beautiful days."

The joint text of the petition campaign is as follows:

“I am one of the tens of millions of patriots whose heart is with democracy and justice. I am the national will. In the primary election held by the CHP on March 23, 15.5 million citizens determined Ekrem İmamoğlu as the presidential candidate. İmamoğlu, who is our presidential candidate with the will of millions, is being held in prison by a political decision that is contrary to law, reason, and conscience.

I have not given up for a moment on believing in the beautiful future days of my country. I want İmamoğlu to regain his freedom and for the ballot box, where there will be a democratic, fair, and honorable race, to be established as soon as possible. I want this unjust and lawless order to end.

I am signing to see my candidate by my side and my ballot box in front of me!”