The reaction of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu to a court decision to remand him in custody on charges of corruption following his arrest on 19 March has been shared in a post on social media.
İmamoğlu calls on the Turkish people to persist in the struggle for peace and democracy in Turkey, and tells the government they have paved the way for their own defeat with this action.
The complete message is given here:
“There is no benefit in fear!
You will be defeated either way.
You will be defeated because we are right, because of our courage, our humility, our smiling faces!
My dear people;
Never be sad, never be depressed, never lose hope.
We will eliminate this coup and this black stain on our democracy by working together.
The days are near when the people who have directed all this will be held accountable both in this world and in the hereafter before the Almighty.
I invite my 86 million citizens to run to the polls and announce the struggle for democracy and justice to the whole world.
I stand tall, I will never bend.
Everything will be beautiful…
Korkunun ecele faydası yok!
Öyle de yenileceksin! Böyle de yenileceksin.
Haklılığımıza, cesaretimize, tevazumuza, güler yüzümüze yenileceksin!
Aziz Milletim;
Asla üzülmeyin, mahzun olmayın, umudunuzu yitirmeyin.Demokrasimize yapılan bu darbeyi, bu kara lekeyi el birliğiyle…
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) March 23, 2025
