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Turkey Protests Enter Second Week Amid Government Warnings and Widespread Arrests
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As protests continue against the arrest of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, pressure is mounting on the Turkish government, which is facing a wave of violent demonstrations threatening its internal st
Ankara authorities announced on Tuesday the extension of the gathering ban in the Turkish capital until April 1, aiming to contain the protest movement sparked by the detention of opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu of Istanbul.
This decision comes as the country is witnessing unprecedented protests not seen in over a decade, particularly after similar orders were issued in Istanbul and Izmir, the largest cities in western Turkey.
On the other hand, the Turkish public prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for 41 people on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during protests in Istanbul.
In another development, Turkish authorities launched a new wave of arrests on Tuesday targeting "instigators" of the protests after the sixth night of ongoing demonstrations in various Turkish cities against İmamoğlu’s imprisonment. Seven out of the eight journalists arrested early Monday from their homes in Istanbul were released, but they will remain under judicial supervision, according to one of their lawyers.
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya warned that "our security forces have detained 43 instigators, and efforts continue to arrest other suspects."
President Erdogan described the protests as having turned into a "movement of violence," blaming the Republican People's Party for any damage to property or injuries to police officers during the protests.
İmamoğlu's arrest triggered the largest protests Turkey has seen in over a decade after a Turkish court sentenced him to jail pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. The Republican People's Party, the largest opposition party in Turkey, described the arrest as politically motivated and contrary to democratic principles, while the government emphasized that the judiciary is completely independent in its decisions.
Despite the gathering ban in several Turkish cities, protests continued for the sixth consecutive night in Istanbul and other major cities, with hundreds of thousands of protesters participating. Although most protests were peaceful, there are signs of increasing political tension in Turkey as demonstrations escalate and security measures against opponents intensify.
Özgür Özal, leader of the Republican People's Party, called on citizens across the country to continue protesting against what he described as "injustice," while Erdogan vowed to hold the opposition party accountable politically in parliament and legally in court.
