CHP marks New Year with vigil outside Silivri Prison

ISTANBUL

Officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) gathered outside Silivri Prison on New Year’s Eve to protest the detention of party members and demand the release of ousted Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The group sang songs around a bonfire and chanted slogans as they rang in 2026. The demonstration was a show of solidarity for those detained in an ongoing investigation focused on the Istanbul Municipality.

"From here, we send our feelings of friendship through the walls to the Silivri dungeon," CHP's Istanbul leader Özgür Çelik said in televised remarks. "May 2026 bring justice, democracy, prosperity and peace to our country."

The gathering included lawmaker Umut Akdoğan, party's top committee members Tolga Sağ and Baran Seyhan, youth wing leader Cem Aydın and the acting mayor of Istanbul, Nuri Aslan.

İmamoğlu was detained in March during a corruption investigation. His arrest occurred the same day he was officially announced as the party’s challenger for the presidency.

“We send greetings and warmest regards to all our comrades, brothers, democrats, republicans and all our friends,” Akdoğan said during the vigil. “Don't worry, we are right here beside you.”

In a written New Year’s message, CHP leader Özgür Özel reiterated calls for early elections, despite national polls not being scheduled until 2028. Özel framed 2026 as a year of “great change.”

"We will put this home, our homeland, which has fallen apart, back together," Özel said. "The inhabitants of this home, who have been looked down upon for years, will sit together at the same dinner table during our time."