Istanbulites will not forget March 19, 2025. That Wednesday became instantly infamous when hundreds of heavily armed police detained Istanbul’s charismatic mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, in his home shortly after 7am.
News of his arrest triggered a wave of fear across the city. Before he was thrown into a cell in the notorious Marmara Prison, Imamoglu filmed a last-minute video. From inside his walk-in closet, he spoke out against autocracy and entrusted his “fate” to his “people”. Fixing his tie, the immaculately dressed politician seemed as if he was readying to accept his candidacy as Turkey’s next president. In fact, the mayor was on his way to the police van. The video, titled “A Coup against People’s Will”, garnered 28 million views in less than a week.
New Statesman
