26.03.2025 (12:01 PM)

Turkey has been rocked by widespread protests since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, with more than 1,000 people detained in six days, the Turkish interior ministry said.

The protests have spread to at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, and police have detained 1,133 people in the past six days, including 43 on the night of March 24, the interior ministry said. Ten journalists, including an AFP journalist, were among those arrested.

İmamoğlu, 53, is from the opposition CHP party and is seen as the only politician with a chance of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the election.

İmamoğlu was arrested and removed from his position as mayor in a corruption and terrorism investigation. On March 24, students in Istanbul and the capital Ankara protested after announcing a boycott of university education.

“This is not a gathering. This is against fascism,” CHP opposition party leader Özel told the crowd. One banner read, “The presidential palace is yours, the streets are ours,” aimed at Erdogan.

Özel also called on the public to boycott pro-government television channels that did not broadcast footage of the protests and businesses close to the government. Erdogan accused the opposition party of inciting the protesters.

On March 16, İmamoğlu was chosen as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, a move that observers say was a key reason for his arrest.

His arrest has drawn international condemnation and Germany has called it “totally unacceptable.”

The European Union has also warned the Turkish government, and the French Foreign Ministry said the arrest of the Istanbul mayor was a “major attack on democracy.”

The arrest of 10 Turkish journalists, including an AFP journalist, by police for covering the protests has been condemned by media organizations, including the Turkish Journalists’ Union. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for the release of the detained journalists. İmamoğlu, who was in prison, denounced his arrest without trial as political repression.