Kazakh embassy calls on its citizens in Türkiye not to participate in rallies

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 23. The Embassy of
Kazakhstan in Istanbul called on citizens of the republic to avoid
crowded places and not to take part in demonstrations and rallies
in Türkiye, Trend
reports.

The statement of the embassy also draws attention to the
“undesirability of disseminating information about demonstrations
(rallies) and personal assessments, opinions regarding current
events on social networks.” The embassy recommended observing
increased security measures, being vigilant and adhering to the
recommendations of the Turkish authorities.

To note, on March 19 the Istanbul Prosecutor General’s Office
issued a detention warrant for seven suspects, including Istanbul
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Deputy Secretary General of Istanbul
Municipality Mahir Polat, and the head of the Sisli municipality
Resul Emrah Sahan, on charges of “assisting the PKK terrorist
organization.

The communiqué from the Prosecutor General’s Office indicated
that as part of the municipal elections held on March 31, 2024, an
activity called “Urban Consensus” was carried out with the aim of
strengthening the influence of the PKK terrorist organization in
major cities, including Istanbul.

The leaders of the terrorist organization, Cemil Bayik and
Mustafa Karasu, published their ideas and instructions through
media outlets connected to the organization in the run-up to the
election.

There is evidence that in the Istanbul election, Istanbul Mayor
Ekrem Imamoglu formed an alliance with the Peoples’ Democratic
Congress (PDK), an umbrella structure of the terrorist
organization, based on the principle of “urban consensus.” As a
result, operations were simultaneously conducted against PDK
members in several cities, especially in Istanbul, and
investigations continue into the detained individuals.

The investigation revealed that members of the municipal council
elected on the Republican People’s Party (CHP) list, as well as
some appointed mayors, are connected to the terrorist
organization.

As part of the investigation, based on gathered evidence,
Imamoglu, Polat, Sahan, Head of the Institute of Reforms Mehmet Ali
Caliskan, as well as A.B., identified as a member of the
ideological structure of the terrorist organization and currently
on the run, an employee of the “Spectrum House” company, and H.A.,
whose name was linked to recruitment for the armed forces of the
terrorist organization in 2018, as well as Deputy Mayor of Sisli
Ebru Ozdemir, are allegedly involved in the “urban consensus”
activity.

Ekrem Imamoglu is a Turkish entrepreneur, real estate developer,
and social democratic politician now holding the position of the
32nd mayor of Istanbul. He was initially elected with 4.1 million
votes, securing victory by a margin of 13,000 votes against his AKP
rival in the March 2019 mayoral election as the joint candidate of
the Nation Alliance, including the CHP and the Good Party.