On 23 March, 71 people were detained in Turkey for participating in protests in support of the opposition mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, and 28 others are wanted, Hurriyet wrote.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Erlikay said on March 24 that a total of 1,133 people had been detained since the start of the protests, and among them “persons linked to 12 different terrorist organisations” had been identified. According to the newspaper, legal proceedings have already begun against the arrested protesters detained earlier.
Authorities have also opened criminal cases against the organisers and participants of an event organised by the Turkish opposition People’s Equality and Democracy Party in Istanbul’s Yenikapı district on March 23. The party’s co-chairman Tuncer Bakirhan declared support for Imamoglu and his associates at it.
Mass protests in Turkey began on 19 March after the Istanbul mayor and members of his team were detained on charges of “setting up a criminal organisation for profit”. Authorities issued arrest warrants for more than 100 people. Turkey’s Justice Ministry says the case is not political in nature. The mayor of Istanbul himself called his prosecution a blow to the will of the people and called for protests.
Imamoglu’s arrest a few days before the party primaries was perceived by Erdogan’s opponents as an attempt to eliminate a rival. On 23 March, Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Turkey’s People’s Republican Party, said that about 15 million people had voted for Imamoglu in the primaries and that he would be nominated as the country’s presidential candidate. Özel called on Turkish President Recep Erdogan to decide to hold early elections for the head of state and contest them against Ekrem Imamoglu.
Imamoglu has been the mayor of Istanbul since March 2019. He is considered the main opponent of incumbent Turkish President Recep Erdogan should he run for office again. Turkey’s presidential election is scheduled for 2028.