The mayor of Istanbul and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival has been formally arrested and jailed pending trial over corruption charges.
Ekrem Imamoglu was originally detained on Wednesday – sparking widespread protests across Turkey which have since intensified.
Mr Imamoglu, a popular opposition figure with the Republican People’s Party, was also detained over allegations of links to a terror organisation.
For a fourth night, demonstrators clashed with police as the 53-year-old faced further questioning. He denies any wrongdoing.
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1:08 Hundreds detained during protests in Turkey
Many view his detentionas a political move to remove him from the 2028 presidential race – deepening concerns over Turkey’s democracy and the rule of law.
However, government officials reject accusations any legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist Turkey’s courts operate independently.
Police questioned Mr Imamoglu for around five hours on Saturday as part of a terror investigation into allegations of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet reported.
Image: Demonstrations have taken place four days in a row. Pic: Reuters.
A day earlier he was questioned for four hours over the corruption accusations.
Around 90 other people were also questioned by prosecutors.
Dozens are prominent figures and include two district mayors.
Image: President Erdogan has said his government will not tolerate street protests. Pic: PA
Ankara’s mayor, Mansur Yavas – also of the Republican’s People’s Party – criticised the lack of confidentiality surrounding Mr Imamoglu’s proceedings, telling reporters: “Honestly, we are embarrassed in the name of our legal system.
“We learned from television pundits about the allegations that even lawyers did not have access to, showing how politically motivated this whole ordeal has been.”
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Erdogan said the government would not tolerate street protests and accused the opposition party of links to corruption and extremist organisations.
“The days of going out into the streets, taking left-wing organisations, extremists, and vandals with you… are now behind us,” he said.
Image: A police officer uses crowd control spray to disperse demonstrators in Istanbul. Pic: Reuters.
Saturday marked the fourth night of largely peaceful demonstrations. However, a group of protesters, trying to break through barricades to reach Istanbul’s main square, threw flares, stones, and other objects at police who responded with pepper spray.
Police used water cannons and tear gas on demonstrators in the capital, Ankara.
Mr Imamoglu’s arrest comes ahead of his expected nomination as the Republican People’s Party’s presidential candidate in a primary on Sunday.
The party’s leader, Ozgur Ozel, said the primary, in which around 1.5 million delegates can vote, will go ahead as planned.
Mr Imamoglu was elected Istanbul’s mayor in March 2019. This was a major blow to President Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party – which had controlled the city for 25 years.
The president’s party subsequently challenged the municipal election results, alleging irregularities in the result.
A second election was called a few months later – which Mr Imamoglu also won.
