Turkey Issues Warning as Protests Erupt Over Detention of Istanbul Mayor

On Friday, Turkey issued a warning against the “illegal” calls from the main opposition party to organize street protests in response to the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. This follows some of the largest civil disobedience protests in the country in over a decade.
The warning from President Tayyip Erdogan’s government comes ahead of a potential court ruling this weekend that could officially authorize the mayor’s arrest, potentially intensifying both the protests and a significant decline in Turkish assets.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that 53 individuals were detained, and 16 police officers were injured during protests that began at university campuses, Istanbul’s municipal headquarters, and other locations on Thursday. This occurred despite a four-day ban on public gatherings imposed after Imamoglu’s detention.
The protests led to occasional clashes. Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival and a leader in some polls, was arrested on charges, including corruption and supporting a terrorist organization. He can be held until Sunday when a court will decide whether to formally arrest him. Imamoglu’s party, the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has condemned the move as politically motivated and called for peaceful demonstrations, while European leaders have criticized it as a sign of democratic decline.
Yerlikaya and Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the calls for protests by CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, calling them “irresponsible.” “Gathering and protesting are fundamental rights, but encouraging people to take to the streets during an ongoing legal investigation is illegal and unacceptable,” Tunc said on X Friday morning.
Tunc emphasized that the “independent and impartial judiciary” was managing the case and warned against linking Erdogan to Imamoglu’s detention. Protests took place Thursday in Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, and other regions, with police setting up barricades, blocking streets, and using water cannons to disperse some crowds, particularly students.
Since the nationwide Gezi Park protests in 2013, which led to a harsh government crackdown, Turkey has significantly curtailed civil disobedience, marking a key moment in Erdogan’s transformation of the country into a more autocratic state.
On Thursday, Erdogan dismissed the opposition’s criticism, calling it “theatrics” designed to deflect attention from the party’s internal issues. Speaking at a major rally in Istanbul late Thursday, CHP’s Ozel responded, saying, “Hey Erdogan, you’re most scared of the streets. We are now on the streets, in the squares. Continue to be afraid.”
“While you keep the person we elected in custody, we will not stay home,” Ozel declared to thousands of supporters.