Turkish officials warned there would be “no tolerance for those who seek to violate societal order” amid escalating outrage over the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish authorities detained 343 people during overnight protests in more than a dozen cities against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
Arrests were made in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, as well as Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Konya and several others.
“There will be no tolerance for those who seek to violate societal order, threaten the people’s peace and security, and pursue chaos and provocation,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on social media.
Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when Imamoglu was arrested over alleged links to corruption and terrorism.
According to a count by the AFP news agency, there have been demonstrations in at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces so far. On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech that authorities “would not allow public order to be damaged,” and vowed not to “give in to vandalism or street terrorism.”
Dozens arrested for social media posts
Meanwhile, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Turkish police have detained 56 people accused of inciting unrest through provocative social media posts.
Detention warrants were issued for a total of 94 suspects accused of posting “provocative” calls for protests and creating public “panic,” Anadolu quoted the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office as saying.
According to Anadolu, police carried out simultaneous raids, detaining 56 and searching for 38 others. Authorities seized illegal drugs during searches of the suspects’ homes, the agency added.
Imamoglu to appear before prosecutors
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is a popular opposition figure and seen as a top challenger to Erdogan.
On Friday, police questioned Imamoglu for four hours over the corruption accusations, during which he denied all charges, Turkish media reported.
The arrested mayor also spoke to police on Saturday morning in connection with the “terror” probe, party sources told AFP. He is expected to appear again before prosecutors at the Caglayan courthouse later on Saturday to be questioned in both the graft and terror probes.
The mayor’s arrest came just days ahead of his expected nomination as presidential candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Dozens of other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained. Government officials have denied accusations that trials of opposition figures are politically motivated, insisting that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
DW News
