Özgür Özel: İmamoğlu's operations in Çağlayan will continue until morning.

22.03.2025 23:31

The leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, made statements in front of the İBB Building in Saraçhane, saying that the procedures for Ekrem İmamoğlu and the other individuals who were detained would continue until morning. Özel stated, "The lawyers said that the process in Çağlayan would last until the first light of dawn."

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Speaking at the rally held in Saraçhane, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel stated, "The process in Çağlayan will continue until the first light of dawn, according to the lawyers."

Following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the rallies in Saraçhane, which took place at the call of the CHP, continued today.

"PROCEEDINGS WILL LAST UNTIL THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN"

Speaking at the rally, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel conveyed that the proceedings of İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the accompanying individuals, who were transferred to Çağlayan Courthouse after their procedures at the police station, would continue until the early hours of the morning.

Özel said, "Just as we spoke yesterday, whatever we said, whatever results we achieved, we will achieve even more together tonight," and added, "Dear, dear Istanbulites, you have taken something back. When you wanted to come here from your homes, four days ago, Erdoğan's order, with the decision of the governorship, prohibited the police from allowing three people to gather, demonstrate, or hold a rally until tomorrow. After that decision, all the roads leading here were blocked, the bridges over the Golden Horn were lifted.

Despite all the viaducts and roads being closed, on the first day, there were 110,000 people, on the second night, 210-220,000 people, and last night, we said 220,000. When we saw the drone footage, we were also surprised by what we saw. There were 550,000 people where the eye could see, and they could not approach here. And you cannot see, I don't know. There is a screen there, if the live broadcast is made, you will see that we are all together from one end to the point where the eye can see, in the historical peninsula with 550,000 people, together with the connection roads, we are one million people, heart to heart, one million people," he expressed.

ADDRESSING THE ISTANBUL GOVERNOR

Responding to President Erdoğan's statements, Özel said, "From here, especially, I said last night. Erdoğan gave an unlawful order. What can the governor do, what can the police chief do? On one side, there is a person giving the order, a single person, a single man. On the other side, there are millions who are not afraid of him. Who can stop you? However, last night, while gas was being thrown, I am addressing the governor of Istanbul, who allowed us to stop what was happening to the youth at Bozdağ Bridge with the calls from my provincial chairman's phone and to call them here, and I expect him to show sensitivity to our sensitivity regarding not giving unlawful orders to the police in front of us tonight, tomorrow, and beyond.

PROTESTED THOSE WHO SHOT FIREWORKS

During his speech, Özel also called on the youth who were shooting fireworks at the police, saying, "A history will be written here tonight, in Istanbul. Do not stand against this, you cannot. Despite Erdoğan's threats, tell me where and what is happening. No, brother, there is no gas, I see it. There is no gas, I see it, and when it happens, I will say it. Now, where is it being shot from? Isn't it from Bozdağ Bridge? Dear friends, if there is a situation where fireworks are shot towards Bozdağ Bridge, we cannot support or defend this.

Please, friends over there, come to this side. Whatever we do tonight, we will do it together. We must be together for the youth, for Istanbul, for Ekrem İmamoğlu, for our 393 friends who have been detained. However, we cannot be unjust when we are right.

To the police in front of you, I am speaking for the group there, if you shoot fireworks, I cannot defend this. Just as our children were blinded during Gezi when fireworks were shot from this side, if a father or a tiny child's father, a police officer becomes blind or disabled, we cannot account for this to that child, to that father. Please let us defend our peaceful and rightful position. The power of this square is in its righteousness, brother. We are right, we will win. Take your warning, bring them here. Look, this cannot be. We all want the same thing in this square. We all want the same thing in this square, and we are all shouting together. There is no salvation alone. Either together, or together," he said.

RESPONDED TO PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN

Özel conveyed the message of detained Ekrem İmamoğlu with the following statements: "İmamoğlu greets you, Ekrem İmamoğlu! To Mr. Gökhan Günaydın, I ask him to direct our three MPs to Boğaziçi University, and to the Governor, to immediately stop the interventions at Boğaziçi University, and to let the students at Boğaziçi University do whatever they want, do they want this square? Whatever Boğaziçi wants, let’s quickly realize its diplomacy. Let’s stop the attack there. From here, I salute Boğaziçi, I respectfully salute the great resistance of Boğaziçi. Today, Erdoğan made a statement like this, we learned about it last night. He says: "Street calls are unacceptable. Turkey is not a country established on the streets."

Mr. Erdoğan, know this, this country, this beautiful city, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk took risks in Çanakkale so that foreign ships would not come here, so that foreign posts would not set foot here. He ordered his soldiers to not just fight but to be ready to die. The ancestors of the Turks, Kurds, Lazs, Circassians in this square, the Alevi, Sunni, Muslim, Christian in this square are lying side by side there. But then, with a single signature, a single man allowed those fleets to come to Istanbul. Istanbul was occupied. The first reaction to the occupation of Istanbul was protest rallies in the squares of Istanbul. Those rallies were organized by Darülfünun students.

"WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN"

Ekrem President entered the prosecutor's interrogation an hour ago. Recently, two separate interrogations lasted a total of 6.5 hours. Today, we hope that there will be at least 5 hours of the prosecutor's phase of those two separate interrogations, and that there will not be a transfer to a court after that stage. But if there is a transfer to court, it will take almost as long again, meaning that the process in Çağlayan could continue until the first light of dawn, our lawyer friends there informed us. There will be 30 different prosecutors taking statements, but later, there will be a few hours break before the transfer to the judge with the merging of the statements. We will closely follow this process and provide you with regular updates. You, we met with Ekrem President today. His dear wife, Dilek Hanım, wanted us to all go to Çağlayan when Ekrem President goes to Çatalca, and we were planning that.