00:00Thousands of protesters gathered outside Istanbul City Hall for a second consecutive night to
00:06protest against the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
00:10The Istanbul mayor, a prominent political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
00:14was arrested after a dawn raid of his residence on Wednesday.
00:19He's being investigated for corruption, with prosecutors accusing him of exploiting his
00:23position for financial gain as well as terror links.
00:27But protesters believe the move is politically motivated.
00:42Opposition lawmakers have accused Erdogan of usurping the will of the people by attempting
00:46to eliminate his key political rival.
00:49This week, Istanbul University nullified Imamoglu's diploma, citing irregularities in his 1990
00:55transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus.
00:59The decision, if it holds, would bar the Istanbul mayor from running for president in the next
01:04election as the law requires the officeholder to possess a university degree.
01:09Students have rushed to Imamoglu's defense as concerns mount over the reliability of
01:13their own education.
01:26The main opposition Republican People's Party,
01:32CHP, to which Imamoglu belongs, say Erdogan's actions amount to a coup.
01:38The arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as a CHP presidential candidate
01:43in the party's Sunday primary.
01:46Erdogan vehemently rejects accusations leveled against him, denying any involvement in the
01:50judicial process, which he stresses is independent.
01:54But many protesters remain unconvinced and have vowed to continue their demonstrations.
