Özgür Özel: In Turkey, it is the other world leaders who decide who will be released.

CHP leader Özgür Özel stated regarding his party's action plans, "The first rally will be in Samsun. Everyone was expecting the second rally to be in Izmir. We will hold it in Yozgat, where we are the weakest."

In a statement he made on Friday, the General Chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, said, "In Turkey, it is Erdoğan who decides who will be arrested and the other world leaders who decide who will be released." Reminding of Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, who was suddenly sent to the US while being arrested on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terrorist organization and espionage" in 2018, Özel remarked, "Erdoğan is very brave. He sent Brunson with a phone call. Did we get him, did we get Fethullah Gülen, then he gave him? He used to say, 'As long as this soul stays in this body, he can't get out.'" Özel continued, "He left them to the Germans with a phone call from Schröder. He released the Büyükada detainees and Deniz Yücel with a phone call from Merkel. Macron released a French journalist with a phone call." When asked on Halk TV, "Who will get İmamoğlu released?" he replied, "If Trump hadn't given permission, İmamoğlu wouldn't have gone to prison in the first place. One of the things that will free İmamoğlu is the reminder from the international world, from our international friends, that this coup attempt has cut Turkey off from the modern world. The damage caused by this so-called democrat-looking autocrat Mehmet Şimşek regarding the economy of Turkey can be accurately conveyed, and he would be released in five minutes. There is no benefit to Turkey in keeping Ekrem Bey inside. There is a benefit to Turkey's enemies." With these words, the CHP leader referred to the recent claim by US Senator Chris Murphy that İmamoğlu was arrested with the "approval" of US President Donald Trump.

"We will give the biggest vote of no confidence in history," Özel described his party's actions outside of rallies: "We have a signature campaign for İmamoğlu's presidency. What are we doing? We are giving a vote of no confidence to Erdoğan. What is it? If more than half of the 600 members of parliament want it, in parliamentary systems, the government falls with a vote of no confidence. If it cannot be formed, early elections are held, right? We want to give the biggest vote of no confidence in history with more than half of the voters. In short, we have districts, provinces, and a call center. We have signature campaigns in places like shopping malls and squares. I invite every citizen to support the signature campaign for democracy."

"The second big rally will be in Yozgat," Özel, indicating that his party will be on the streets, added, "A party is not just in a building. There is negotiation and struggle." He announced that they will start their big rallies on weekends from Samsun: "The first rally will be in Samsun. Everyone was expecting the second rally to be in Izmir. We will hold it in Yozgat, where we are the weakest. Since Yozgat has decided to make history, we are going to write history in Yozgat. The second rally will be in Yozgat. We may hold two rallies on some weekends. Also, the coup attempt happened on Wednesday. For this, we will meet at certain points every Wednesday. The first one was in Şişli. The second one was in Beylikdüzü. In the hometown of Murat Çalık, in Beylikdüzü. Then we will go around one by one. We will hold rallies in meaningful places. For example, we are considering stopping by an NTV during the Sarıyer rally."

What happened? İmamoğlu was detained the day after his diploma from Istanbul University was canceled on March 18 and was later arrested on March 23 in a corruption investigation. This entire process came after the investigations opened against the İBB President in recent weeks and before the CHP's presidential candidate primary election. At the beginning of these investigations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said, "They know very well that the bigger turnips are still in the sack. This is the reason for their panic." However, on the same day as İmamoğlu's arrest, he was announced as the CHP's presidential candidate with nearly 15 million votes. Following this, he was removed from his position as İBB President by a decision from the Ministry of Interior. CHP Municipal Council Member Nuri Aslan was elected as the Deputy Mayor of İBB in İmamoğlu's place.

The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu's detention and subsequent arrest turned into the largest demonstrations seen in Turkey in over a decade. The police responded to the protests with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. In many major cities across the country, especially Istanbul, security forces are intervening harshly against demonstrators. The CHP announced that it would continue its actions during this process.