Turkish Authorities Detain 343 People in Protests Against Istanbul Mayor’s Arrest

Metodi Yordanov, BTA Special by Nahide Deniz, Petar Kadrev

The protest against Imamoglu's arrest in Ankara on Friday, organized by CHP (BTA Photo/Nora Cholakova)

Ankara,

22.03.2025 13:53

(BTA)

Turkish authorities have detained 343 people during protests against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, which took place last night in several cities, Reuters reported, quoting Turkiye’s Interior Ministry.

Demonstrations were held in more than ten cities, including Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

The Ministry stated that the arrests were made to prevent “disturbances to public order” and warned that the authorities would not tolerate “chaos and provocations.”

Tens of thousands of Turks have been participating in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when İmamoğlu was detained on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist organization.

In Istanbul, 140 people were arrested while live-streaming the protest in front of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, as well as student demonstrations.

According to the opposition television channel Sözcü, more than 200,000 people took part in the protest rally in front of the municipality building in Istanbul.

Opposition media reported that across the three consecutive protests since İmamoğlu’s arrest, a total of around 1 million people have participated in demonstrations in Istanbul, Izmir, Sinop, Trabzon, and Mersin.

Despite the cold weather and clashes with the police, the rally in Istanbul continued until midnight.

Cumhuriyet TV reported that police used tear gas against demonstrators in Izmir, Kocaeli, and Izmit.

İmamoğlu is widely seen as the leading candidate of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), for the 2028 presidential elections. Polls show him leading against the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to Reuters.

The CHP has condemned İmamoğlu’s arrest and urged its supporters to protest peacefully despite the ban imposed by the authorities. CHP leader Özgür Özel called on supporters to turn out in large numbers for the party's internal elections for the presidential candidate, in which İmamoğlu is participating. The vote is set to take place Sunday.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç condemned Özel’s call for protests, calling it “irresponsible”, Daily Sabah reported.

Attack on Iraqi Consulate in Istanbul

An attack on the Iraqi Consulate General in Istanbul was carried out late Friday night, Turkish media reported.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli stated that the consulate building, located in the Şişli district, was fired upon by two individuals who arrived on a motorcycle.

According to the Iraqi Embassy, eight bullets were fired at the building.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attack.

/MY/