The jailing of Istanbul’s embattled Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure, has triggered Turkiye’s most significant street unrest in years.
Just four days after his arrest in a predawn raid involving hundreds of police officers, Imamoglu was stripped of his mayoral title on Sunday and transferred to Silivri Prison on the outskirts of Istanbul.
His jailing stems from a court order mandating his formal arrest on corruption charges. The court opted not to formalise an arrest in a separate “terrorism” investigation. The Ministry of Interior announced his suspension from office as mayor of Turkiye’s largest city.
Government officials have rejected accusations that the legal action against the opposition figure is politically motivated and insisted that Turkiye’s courts operate independently.
However, as the protests raged, the authorities demanded the closure of hundreds of social media accounts.
More than 700 accounts on X, including those belonging to “news organisations, journalists, political figures, students, and others within Turkiye”, were targeted, the X company said.
Describing the government’s move as “unlawful”, X affirmed its commitment to defending free speech through legal channels.
However, it is reported that several accounts have been suspended by the US company, including some involved in coordinating the protests.
The crackdown has caused widespread anger among citizens, many of whom had supported Imamoglu in past elections.
Riot police deployed rubber bullets and pepper spray during clashes with protesters in Istanbul, while demonstrators in Ankara were met with water cannons.
Despite a ban on protests in Turkiye’s three largest cities and a stern warning from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against “street terror”, unrest has spread rapidly, reflecting deepening tensions in the country.