Story highlights "This is the voice, the scream of the people for justice," protester says

Demonstration began after an opposition MP was imprisoned

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) Turkish citizens arrived en masse in Istanbul on Sunday, after marching 250 miles over three-and-a-half weeks to demand the government loosen its stranglehold on the country's democracy.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), finished the last kilometer of his long trek alone and was met with huge applause and chants of "Rights! Law! Justice!" as he entered Maltepe Square.

The square was packed to its seams and many attendees and marchers gave up trying to enter the rally, instead joining in on the chants from grassy patches outside the square.

"We need justice and democracy. That's why we have been in the roads for days," said Fadime Özbudak, a 47-year-old housewife. "It's wonderful here. I couldn't even get inside, but I'm just so happy. ... I've never seen anything like this in Turkey."

Another housewife, Yasemin Safak, a member of Kilicdaroglu's CHP, said she was impressed that so many people, who could have elected to do a variety of other things over the weekend, chose instead to be heard at Sunday's rally.

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