site.btaMore than 1,100 Detained, 123 Police Officers Injured in Protests in Turkiye, Interior Minister Says

The Minister of the Interior of Turkiye Ali Yerlikaya said Monday that more than 1,100 people have been arrested since the beginning of the protests triggered by the arrest on March 19 of the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. In his profile on X Yerlikaya also wrote that 123 police officers had been injured in the protests.

According to the minister the demonstrations were aimed against the security and peace of the public.

Acid, rocks, poles, fireworks, Molotov cocktails, axes and knives had been seized during the demonstrations, according to Yerlikaya.

The minister quoted Article 34 of the Turkish Constitution, according to which “Everyone has the right to hold unarmed and peaceful meetings and demonstration marches without prior permission,” but reminded his followers that the right to hold meetings and demonstrations can be limited to protect national security and public order.

"In recent days, some circles have been trying to disrupt public order by abusing the right to assembly and demonstration, inciting street incidents and attacking police. Such actions are aimed at disrupting the peace and security of our nation," the minister said.

According to the data presented by Yerlikaya, a total of 1,133 suspects had been detained during the illegal protests March 19 – 23. The authorities identified individuals affiliated with 12 different terrorist organizations among the detained.

"Terrorizing our streets and endangering the peace and security of our nation will not be tolerated. We call on our citizens to be vigilant against such provocations and to act with common sense," the minister wrote.

The detention of the mayor of Istanbul on March 19 sparked a wave of protests not seen in Turkiye in the past twelve years.

The government, at the same time, categorically denied accusations that the prosecution of Imamoglu and his associates was politically-motivated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the protests in the country and accused the main opposition force, the Republican People's Party, of trying to "disturb the peace and polarize the Turkish people."

President Erdogan convened a cabinet meeting Monday amid the investigation against the arrested Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkish media report. The meeting is due to consider the consequences of the protests and, above all, the implications for public order.

Ten local and foreign journalists, including one from Agence France-Presse, were among the arrested in Turkiye early Monday morning, according to reports from the Turkish media trade union Disk Basin-Is and the Turkish Journalists Union (Turkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi) published on X. The detentions are linked to protests in major cities in Turkiye triggered by the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other members of the Republican People's Party.