DEM Party reacts sharply to İmamoğlu's arrest! 'From Hakkari to Istanbul...'

Following the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, DEM Party Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan reacted to the decision. In statements made via social media, it was emphasized that the arrest constitutes an interference with the will of the people.

Their posts are as follows:

"WE WILL CONTINUE OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST THE USURPATION OF WILL FROM HAKKARI TO ISTANBUL"

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan:

We reject in the strongest possible terms the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu on fabricated grounds and political motives! With the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a political intervention has been made into the will of millions of citizens. This mentality, which has been escalating tension and dragging society into unrest in Turkey for days, continues to cause the greatest harm to Turkey's internal peace. The coup against the will of 16 million has further triggered political, economic, and social tensions in Turkey. I condemn in the strongest possible terms this lawlessness, which disregards the right of the people of Istanbul to vote and be elected and turns the judiciary into a tool for political intervention. I call for this decision to be reversed quickly. We will resolutely continue our struggle against the usurpation of will extending from Hakkari to Istanbul!

"THEY WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THOSE WHO PLAYED WITH THE LIVES OF 85 MILLION"

DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları stated the following:

"The arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his colleagues by a judiciary acting on government instructions is a coup against justice and democracy. It has already gone down in history as a black mark. We condemn the arrest of Mr. İmamoğlu in the strongest possible terms. Istanbul means the entirety of Turkey. This arrest decision, made with purely political motives against the elected will of this city, will be the shame of this government. Those who built their political careers by saying, 'We have suffered much from civil coups, we have been subjected to much injustice and lawlessness,' have today arrived at a port of a series of lawless acts. They will go down in history as the greatest conspirators and those who played with the lives of 85 million for the sake of their power. We call for this decision regarding Mr. İmamoğlu to be reviewed and for everyone arrested with him to be released as soon as possible. No one has the right to interfere with the will of the people to the detriment of 85 million people by using the judiciary for their own interests!"