Turkish authorities have arrested 343 individuals during overnight protests held across several cities, organized in response to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Interior Ministry announced on March 22.
The protests took place in dozens of cities, including Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, and the capital, Ankara, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that the arrests were made to prevent “public disorder,” warning that authorities would not tolerate “chaos or provocation.”
Tens of thousands of Turks have been protesting, largely peacefully, since Wednesday when Imamoglu was arrested on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group. He is a major political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Imamoglu’s party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – the main opposition group – condemned his arrest, calling it politically motivated and urging supporters to protest legally.
Imamoglu, 54, was arrested just as the CHP was preparing to announce him as its presidential candidate on Sunday. The party has called on people outside of the party to vote for him at ballot boxes set up across the country as a sign of public resistance.
Turkey’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, but Erdogan, 71, may call for early elections to avoid a two-term limit if he chooses to run again.
