Ekrem Imamoglu, who was set to be Erdogan’s main rival in the 2028 election, was formally arrested and charged with corruption.
Tens of thousands of Turkish opposition protesters staged a rally outside Istanbul City Hall on Monday evening in support of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu following his arrest and subsequent jailing by a court order.
The demonstrators outside the city hall held flags and placards and chanted slogans while clashes between protesters and the police occurred.
Monday evening’s mass protests were sparked after a court on Sunday formally arrested Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges.
His jailing followed an earlier detention last week, which sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law.
Erdogan calls for ‘stop to provocations.’
Meanwhile, in a televised address on Monday following a cabinet meeting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition party CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel, who has called for peaceful protests, of disturbing public order.
“I have made this call several times before, and today I am repeating it: Stop disturbing our citizens’ peace with provocations,” Erdogan said.
He also suggested Ozel would be held to account for the protests.
“Of course, there will be political accountability for these actions in parliament and legal accountability in court.”
Journalists detained
Turkish authorities detained several journalists, a media workers’ union said on Monday, calling it a crackdown amid growing protests triggered by the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A court on Sunday formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges.
His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law.
The Disk-Basin-Is union said at least eight reporters and photojournalists were detained in what it called an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.” It called for their immediate release.
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