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Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstani political scientist, expert in international relations, professor at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Ainur Nogaeva shared her opinion on what is happening in Turkey after the detention of the mayor of Istanbul.
Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on March 19 in connection with a case of an organization engaged in corruption, bribery and graft. The politician himself said that he "does not intend to give in" under pressure from the authorities.
Security measures have been strengthened on a number of central streets in Istanbul, in particular, in front of the Main Police Department building, and there are interruptions in the work of social networks.
"First of all, I want to reassure those who talk about the security problem in Turkey and Istanbul in particular. I have seen media reports and videos of protests, but it should be said that the information about tensions does not reflect reality. A couple of streets are blocked, a small group of students came out with posters in support of the mayor's arrest," Nogaeva said.
Moreover, according to her, the detention of the Istanbul mayor is related to an investigation that "has been conducted by Turkish law enforcement agencies for a long time" - for several years.
Earlier, the Turkish Minister of Justice reported that as part of the investigations conducted by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office, arrest warrants were issued for 106 suspects, including the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Ekrem Imamoglu.
According to official data, Imamoglu and his associates are suspected of aiding a terrorist organization, bribery, extortion and fraud.
"That is, we see that the charges are serious, the investigation into these cases is ongoing, and we must wait for the results of the investigation. But it is clear that the case is not political in nature, as Imamoglu wants to show," Ainur Nogaeva believes.
According to the political scientist, after 3-4 days of arrest, a decision will be made and an official statement will be made about what exactly he is accused of. The attempt to reduce all these charges to the political field "is connected with the desire of the opposition to use this as "political armor," Nogaeva believes.
"Since the next elections are still far away, more than three years, therefore it is inappropriate to say that the government wants to "remove a competitor." Since in Turkey a person cannot be arrested without serious evidence, at least during Erdogan's rule there were no arrests for any political or other thought, with the exception of insult or slander. All arrests had serious reasons, and they were proven. There is an effective justice system here, and the media is strong here," she notes.
As she noted, since early morning the media has been broadcasting live what is happening in Istanbul, where experts, journalists, and opposition politicians are speaking. At the same time, in order to avoid provocations, a ban on rallies and demonstrations has been imposed for 4 days.
"I spoke with some of our teachers, including those from Istanbul University, and no emergency situations have arisen. So it is incorrect to talk about security issues," the political scientist concluded.
The mayor of Istanbul and his associates were detained on March 19. They will remain in police custody for 4 days. He was detained on charges of involvement in corruption, bribery and graft.
After the detention of the mayor and his associates, a ban on protests was also introduced in Istanbul to prevent possible mass unrest for 4 days. Traffic on the roads and the operation of some metro lines were restricted in the city. In general, access to several social networks was restricted in the country, including X, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
