In Turkey, 37 people were detained, accused of "provocative" posts on social media in connection with the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.
Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday on charges including bribery and aiding a terrorist group. Turkey also confiscated a construction company co-owned by Imamoglu, reported the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office.
The main opposition party called this a "coup attempt against the next president".
Thousands of protesters took to the streets and university campuses in various cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, chanting anti-government slogans despite a four-day ban on gatherings imposed after Imamoglu's arrest. Those disagreeing with the detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and 105 other people, most of whom are city hall employees, gathered at the university building that annulled Imamoglu's diploma, as well as at the police department. Law enforcement used tear gas and beat the protesters. Additionally, authorities blocked several metro stations and roads leading to the area where Imamoglu was held.
Turkish authorities identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 abroad, classifying these as "provocative posts inciting crimes and hatred," reported Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on social network X. The minister added that within 24 hours of his detention, 18.6 million posts about Imamoglu were published on platform X.
In addition to the ban on demonstrations, authorities closed several roads and restricted access to certain social networks.
The formal reason for the detention of one of Turkey's most popular politicians is an investigation into illegal tenders, bribery, and extortion. The opposition Republican People's Party could have nominated Imamoglu as a presidential candidate in the primaries on Sunday. Previously, Istanbul University declared Imamoglu's diploma invalid so that the politician could not run for president in 2028. The university cited violations allegedly committed by Imamoglu in the early 1990s.
Photo: Reuters