Cliff Notes
- Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Istanbul for five consecutive nights, decrying the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, on corruption charges.
- Police have responded with pepper spray and rubber bullets as the protests unfold, despite a ban on gatherings in the city; many demonstrators express concerns for the state of democracy in Turkey.
- Imamoglu’s detention is seen by many as politically motivated, aimed at removing him from the 2028 presidential race, while the government claims the judicial process is independent.
Turkey protesters met with tear gas and rubber bullets at rallies after president’s main rival jailed
Hundreds of thousands of protesters filled Istanbul’s streets on Sunday for a fifth night of protest against the arrest of the Turkish president’s main rival.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was detained on Wednesday and formally arrested and jailed pending trial over corruption charges earlier on Sunday.
Police used pepper spray and fired rubber bullets into the crowd that gathered outside Istanbul‘s city hall.
Reporting from Istanbul on Sunday evening, Sky News’ special correspondent Alex Crawford described the protests as “relatively peaceful” but said they were “the biggest protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade”.
The huge demonstrations have continued despite a ban on gatherings in Istanbul imposed this week – but many protesters hid their faces with masks.
Most protesters did not want to speak on camera as they were scared of being recognised, Crawford said, but they took to the streets because “they feel their democracy is being eroded”.
She said questions remained over how long authorities would allow these protests to continue – and whether they will escalate into a real crisis for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr Imamoglu has labelled all of the claims “unimaginable accusations and slanders”.
Many view his detention as a political move to remove him from the 2028 presidential race – deepening concerns over the country’s democracy and the rule of law.