The rallies have continued for a fourth consecutive night in Istanbul and other large cities
Large crowds of protesters gathered for a fourth consecutive night in Turkish cities on Saturday, demanding the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested on corruption and terrorism charges.
Imamoglu, who ran for vice president in 2023, was detained on Wednesday.
He is a prominent member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and is widely seen as one of the main rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The demonstrations took place in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, and in Istanbul, the country’s largest city.
Police deployed water cannons to disperse the students protesting at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.
Clashes broke out between the police and protesters during the previous nights. The officers used water cannons and tear gas, while some protesters pushed down security barriers and threw items at police vehicles.
A total of 343 people were arrested Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Canakkale, Eskisehir, Konya, and Edirne on Friday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.
According to the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul, Imamoglu was detained as part of an investigation into corruption, bribery, and fraud. He was also accused of having links to the Kurdish group PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization in Türkiye.
According to multiple reports, the mayor was arrested days before he was due to be nominated as CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Imamoglu said that the prosecution was politically motivated. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be overturned by the will and resilience of our people,” he said, as quoted by the New York Times.
In a statement on Friday, Erdogan condemned the protests and promised that the authorities would not allow “street terror and vandalism” to disrupt the country. He called on Ozgur Ozel, the head of the CHP, to not act responsibly and not “provoke youngsters.”
