On the morning of March 19, Turkey entered yet another critical phase with the detention of 87 people, including the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Ekrem İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu was taken into custody on charges of corruption and alleged 'terror' offenses and remanded in custody early Sunday morning after four days in custody.

Following the mass detentions, large-scale protests erupted across the country, with a strong emphasis emerging on the need for a united struggle.

Chair of the Labour Movement Party (EHP), Hakan Öztürk, spoke to ANF about the recent developments, the motives behind the operation targeting Ekrem İmamoğlu, and why the call for a joint struggle has come to the forefront.

The goal is to make the one-man regime permanent

Hakan Öztürk stated that the operation targeting Ekrem İmamoğlu was aimed at fully solidifying the one-man regime. Öztürk continued: “The goal here is to take a major step toward making the one-man regime permanent. Now they are both pursuing this goal and taking precautions to prevent important democratic gains in the new ceasefire process. What they essentially mean is: even in an environment where the weapons are silent and peace is achieved, we will not allow you to breathe. They have supposedly learned from the previous resolution process. When they talk about the ‘process,’ they remember Gezi, HDP’s 13 percent victory, and the fact that they lost their ability to form a government alone.

This time, they seem determined to tighten their grip. It could be said that they plan to leave no room whatsoever for democratic opposition, regardless of the circumstances. They will try to block every protest, file lawsuits against everyone, suffocate the press, and do everything in their power to sabotage the elections. Their aim is to ensure that the democratic struggle fought on legal and political grounds fails this time. What we are witnessing now is a new round of their efforts to obstruct the legal, political, and democratic process. While there is talk of [PKK’s] disarmament, Ekrem İmamoğlu is being prosecuted for aiding that very organization. For a while, we will see this contradictory picture unfold. It is contradictory because that organizational form is actually being brought to an end. Pretending otherwise is unsustainable. The AKP will try to force the process in this way. But we will not remain idle. They will force us, and we will resist. The accusations of aiding a non-existent organization—when repeated over and over—will eventually become meaningless and ineffective.”

AKP fears the permanence of peace

Öztürk stated that the AKP fears both the establishment of a lasting peace and the possibility of losing the presidential elections. He continued: “Still, fear is no use against fate. The AKP is afraid of peace becoming permanent, and it is afraid of losing the presidency. What could be worse for them?

The Kurds, the CHP (Republican People’s Party) and the left must wage a joint struggle for democracy. There is no other way, and it is impossible to separate these forces from one another. Because their fate is shared when it comes to democracy. The Kurdish struggle to preserve peace will, without a doubt, serve democracy. This is not a matter of debate. There is no need for theoretical proof or abstraction. We saw in the previous process how the Kurdish movement did not separate itself from the struggle against the one-man regime. In fact, that peace process helped create the right climate for the Gezi resistance, for the strong presence of HDP in parliament, and for the fall of the AKP’s single-party rule. All of this clearly shows how interconnected the struggles for peace and democracy truly are. Nothing has changed.”

Öztürk underlined that the Kurdish movement has opposed the operation against Ekrem İmamoğlu and does not support the one-man regime: “The Kurdish movement naturally opposes the operations targeting Ekrem İmamoğlu. A people who have suffered so deeply under this regime cannot and will not support the one-man dictatorship. If a real alternative emerges that can bring an end to this regime, the Kurdish movement will support it. And if we need proof, we saw this clearly in the previous presidential election.”

The EHP Chair concluded: “The AKP does not know how to do politics without using ‘terror’ as a pretext. In the period ahead, they will be like a fish out of water—unable to find an enemy, a scapegoat, or a devil to blame. The operation against Ekrem İmamoğlu is the first move made after the recent call for the disarmament of the Kurdish movement. And even in this very first move, the accusation of aiding a terrorist organization is completely baseless and absurd. Once we put aside the empty claims of ‘terror links,’ we can roll up our sleeves for a broad, united political struggle. In these conditions, AKP is entering unfamiliar territory. But we know how to fight politically, and we know how to mobilize the masses.”