KKE denounces Imamoglu's arrest, expresses solidarity with the Communist Party and the people of Turkey

In a statement (here in Greek) concerning the ongoing developments in Turkey, the detention and imprisonment of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the mass protests, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) stresses the following:

"The KKE denounces the decision of the Turkish state and AKP government to arrest the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, and to remove him from his office, the suppression of the demonstrations and the mass arrests of demonstrators, including members of the Communist Party (TKP) and the Communist Youth of Turkey, as well as journalists.

Turkish communists respond to Erdogan's attempt to delegitimize mass protests: People Will Break the Game

The political developments that began on March 19 with the detention orders issued for more than 100 people, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and journalist İsmail Saymaz, continue to unfold.

On the first day of these events, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) declared, “We Call on Our People to Organize Against AKP Tyranny.” And today, the Party has called for protests in several cities, especially in the three major metropolitan cities, with the following appeal:

 

Communist Party of Turkey condemns the detention of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. It was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey. 

The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun.

Statement by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) after Istanbul's mayoral re-elections

The Communist Party of Turkey's statement came after the June 23 redo local elections in Istanbul as Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayoral candidate of the opposition, won the polls by a wide margin against his rival, Binali Yıldırım, from the ruling party: 

To our people

The overwhelming victory of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was elected as the Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality on March 31, against Binali Yıldırım, the candidate of AKP and MHP, in the elections that were unlawfully annulled and repeated does not only mean the invalidation of an attempt to usurp universal suffrage but also has dramatically changed the political balances in Turkey.

Istanbul mayoral re-election: The stance of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections were unlawfully annuled and are going to be repeated on June 23. The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued a statement and clarified its position. 

As early as the announcement of the annulment decision, the Party had declared that Ekrem İmamoğlu had been elected as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and that the TKP candidate for the March 31 elections, Zehra Güner Karaoğlu, would not be nominated again for any repeated elections.