Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of the Caglayan Justice Palace in Istanbul on Sunday in support of the suspended mayor of Turkish metropolis, Ekrem Imamoglu, who was brought from Silivri prison to testify before a prosecutor in a new espionage investigation, according to the Anka News Agency.
The demonstrators gathered despite a ban by the Istanbul Governor’s Office on holding rallies, marches, assemblies, sit-ins, media statements, and other public events in the Beyoglu, Kasimpasa, Kagithane, and Sisli districts until the end of the day, Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.
The official statement from the Governor’s Office said that “it has been established that various groups are preparing for illegal gatherings, marches, protests, and similar actions in certain areas of Istanbul, which have the potential to disrupt public peace and welfare and to lead to provocative initiatives.”
Despite the ban, crowds had been gathering since the morning in front of the Caglayan Justice Palace, where, at midday, the former Istanbul mayor, arrested for corruption and held in Silivri prison, was brought to testify in court over a new espionage investigation, Habertler reported.
Security measures across the area were significantly strengthened, with thousands of police officers on duty, the perimeter fenced with multiple rows of barriers, and vehicles for dispersing tear gas and water positioned nearby.
Upon learning that Imamoglu would appear in court on Sunday to testify in the new investigation, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, cut short his visit to Switzerland and returned to Istanbul. By decision of the party’s central leadership, a protest was called in front of Caglayan, with CHP members and supporters from various districts rallying in support of Imamoglu.
“The new espionage charges against Imamoglu are an admission of the failure of the previous ones. They accused him of corruption, and it backfired; they said he was involved in terrorism, and it backfired. Now they are calling it espionage. This is an admission. The chief prosecutor says I am desperate — I am desperate,” Ozel said, as quoted by the pro-opposition newspaper Sozcu.
A few days ago, Istanbul’s Chief Republican Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against Ekrem Imamoglu as well as the editor-in-chief of pro-opposition TV channel Tele1 and Imamoglu’s campaign director Nejati Ozkan and journalist Merdan Yanardag from the same station, on charges of espionage.
According to the pro-government newspaper Sabah, the espionage investigation against Imamoglu is based on testimony and digital materials belonging to the suspect Huseyin Gun, who was arrested on July 4 on espionage charges.
As part of the investigation, the court appointed a trustee to oversee Tele1.
Since March 19, Imamoglu has been in Silivri prison on charges of corruption and illegal transactions during his tenure as mayor. Alongside him, dozens of mayors and municipal officials from the CHP are also in detention. Massive Rally Held in Istanbul as Suspended Mayor Imamoglu Faces New Espionage Investigation THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-10-26 16:49:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law