CHP to rally at Saraçhane on 100th day of İmamoğlu’s arrest

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced plans for a rally on July 1 at Istanbul's Saraçhane Square near the city hall to mark 100 days since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The party will also convene its weekly parliamentary meeting in Istanbul on the same day, CHP leader Özgür Özel told daily BirGün in an interview published June 25.

"We will evaluate the 100 days of the arrest both legally, politically and socially. Then in the evening, we will all go to Saraçhane and hold a demonstration," he added.

İmamoğlu was arrested on March 23 over a corruption investigation, coinciding with the day he was officially named the CHP’s presidential candidate for next elections.

His detention has sparked a series of CHP-led rallies across Türkiye, calling for his release and snap elections.

The Saraçhane rally is set to take place just one day after an Ankara court hears a high-stakes case challenging the legitimacy of the CHP’s 2023 congress, in which Özel was elected party chair.

Özel paid another visit to İmamoğlu on June 25 at Marmara Prison in Silivri, reportedly to discuss the court case.

Meanwhile, Özel is scheduled to travel to Brussels on June 26 to attend an EU leaders meeting at the invitation of European Council President Antonio Costa.

He is expected to address the summit, where topics will include defense, migration, the war in Ukraine and Middle East tensions.

Following his Brussels visit, Özel will travel to Berlin on June 27 to attend the congress of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD).

In a separate development, the man accused of assaulting Özel at a recent memorial for late MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder is slated to appear in court on July 9. The suspect, identified as Selçuk Tengioğlu, reportedly admitted to slapping the CHP leader "in a moment of anger."