Police officers intervene against demonstrators, who wanted to march to Taksim without permission, during the protest against the corruption and terrorism investigation against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) in Sarachane district of Istanbul, Turkiye on March 23, 2025. [Murat Şengül – Anadolu Agency]
Turkish authorities have detained 1,133 people across Turkiye since the start of protests five days ago against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said today according to Reuters.
The detention last Wednesday of Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, has triggered the biggest street protests in Turkiye in more than a decade. On Sunday, a court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges that he denies.
Despite bans on street gatherings in many cities, the mostly peaceful anti-government demonstrations continued for a fifth consecutive night yesterday, with hundreds of thousands taking part.
Yerlikaya said 123 police officers had been injured during the protests so far, adding that the government would not allow “the terrorising of the streets”.
READ: Turkiye detains 343 people over protests against Istanbul mayor’s detention, interior ministry says
Those detained include nine journalists who covered overnight protests in several cities, the Journalists’ Union of Turkiye said yesterday.
It was not immediately clear why the journalists were detained. An Agence France Presse (AFP) staff photographer is among the detained journalists, the union said in a post on X.
Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been calling for protests against the court decision to arrest the mayor, which they label as politicised and undemocratic.
Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as “unimaginable accusations and slanders” and has also called for nationwide protests.
Erdogan said last week that the government would not accept “the disruption of public order”. His government denies that the investigations are politically motivated and says the courts are independent.
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, said today the CHP’s call for protests was aimed at covering up the opposition’s shortcomings.
“Democratic protest is a [fundamental] right, but the language used by the CHP is not the language of democratic protest,” Celik said.
Imamoglu, 54, was jailed pending trial yesterday, as the CHP held a primary election to name him presidential candidate. Some 15 million votes were cast in support of the mayor. Many believe he was detained for being the most credible challenger to Erdogan.
READ: In spite of ban, Turks protest against detention of mayor
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