Turkish opposition's 'Justice March' ends with mass rally in Istanbul

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A so-called "Justice March" launched by Turkey's main opposition party from Ankara on Sunday culminated in a mass rally in Istanbul, in which the party's leader put forth 10-point demands including lifting the state of emergency enforced in the wake of a coup attempt in July last year.

Over one million people carrying national flags and banners reading "justice" joined the rally in Maltepe district on the Asian side of Istanbul called for by the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Addressing the throng, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said his 25-day march is the first stage of a long campaign.

People wave Turkish flags during a rally in Istanbul, July 9, 2017. /VCG Photo

Kilicdaroglu and his followers started their Ankara-Istanbul march that stretches some 450 km on July 15, right after CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoglu was convicted and imprisoned by an Istanbul court over espionage charges.

The CHP argued that Berberoglu's imprisonment was the last straw in the continuing crackdown launched after the July 15 coup bid, in which 249 people were killed.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, holds a placard that reads "Justice", July 9, 2017. /VCG Photo

In his rally speech, Kilicdaroglu called on the government to abolish "any and all forms of guardianship over the democratic parliamentary system."

"Rights, law and justice!" shouted the crowds repeatedly.

The post-coup crackdown has put more than 50,000 Turks in jail and over 100,000 public servants dismissed from their posts, according to press reports.

People cheer during a rally, July 9, 2017 in Istanbul. /VCG Photo

Kilicdaroglu read out a list of 10-point demands, vowing continued struggle until they are met. The 68-year-old was asking for, among others, information on the "political leg" of the failed coup, returning authority to the parliament, lifting the state of emergency, and releasing jailed lawmakers and journalists.

The CHP has been resisting a referendum held on April 16, citing the acceptance of unstamped ballots and other alleged frauds in the votes that paved the way for Turkey to introduce a powerful presidency.

Supporters of Turkey's main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (C) walk alongside him on the "March for Justice" in Istanbul, July 8, 2017. /VCG Photo‍

"This is the most beautiful, sincere and most honest protest I have ever seen in Turkey," Demet Incemehmetoglu, a 65-years-old woman, said of the CHP's long-distance march which had drawn repeated denunciations from top government officials.

Another in the rally described the march as "the humblest way of protest so far in Turkey."

(Source: Xinhua)

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