Turkish authorities have detained nine journalists who were covering overnight protests in several cities following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, according to Reuters, citing the Journalists’ Union of Turkey.
Among those detained is a staff photographer from Agence France-Presse (AFP), the union reported in a post on X (formerly Twitter). As of now, no official explanation has been provided by the government regarding the arrests.
Events Leading to the Arrests
The detentions come in the wake of widespread protests triggered by a Turkish court’s decision on Sunday to jail Imamoglu pending trial on corruption charges. Imamoglu, widely seen as President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, has denounced the charges as “unimaginable accusations and slanders.”
The court decision sparked Turkey’s largest protests in more than a decade. Demonstrations, largely peaceful despite bans on public gatherings in many cities, continued for a fifth consecutive night on Sunday.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), to which Imamoglu belongs, has called the court ruling politically motivated and undemocratic. In a further blow to the popular mayor’s political future, a Turkish university has revoked his academic degree, rendering him ineligible to run in the upcoming presidential elections.
In a speech delivered Sunday evening in Istanbul’s Sarachane district, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel vowed that protests would continue until Imamoglu is released.
The government has denied any political interference, insisting that the judiciary remains independent.
