Mass protests continue in Turkey following the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the main political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported on 22 March that 343 demonstrators were detained in nine cities, particularly Ankara and Istanbul, on Friday alone.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya accused the demonstrators of trying to “disrupt public order and provoke chaos.” In addition to the protesters, 56 other people were detained separately for allegedly inciting unrest via social media.
Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on the morning of 19 March. He and about 100 others were accused of corruption offences and forming a criminal group that extorted businesses.
Imamoglu, whom the Republican People’s Party (CHP) is preparing to nominate as a presidential candidate, called the case politically motivated. He said on social media that the investigation was a “political coup” and called on citizens to fight back.
Turkey’s Justice Ministry says the case is not politically motivated.