Turkiye: 1,000+ arrested, 123 police hurt in mayor protest crackdown
Shafaq News/ Turkish authorities have detained over 1,000 people during five days of protests triggered by the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a Turkish senior official revealed on Monday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X that 1,133 individuals had been arrested since the protests began. He reported 123 police officers injured, warning against “terrorising the streets.”
Anayasa’mızın 34. Maddesi: “Herkes önceden izin almadan, SİLAHSIZ ve SALDIRISIZ toplantı ve gösteri yürüyüşü düzenleme hakkına sahiptir. Toplantı ve gösteri yürüyüşü hakkı ancak, millî güvenlik, kamu düzeni, suç işlenmesinin önlenmesi, genel sağlığın ve genel ahlâkın veya…
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) March 24, 2025
Nine journalists, including a photographer from Agence France-Presse, were among those detained, according to the Journalists’ Union of Turkiye.
The protests, described as the largest in Turkiye in over a decade, began after İmamoğlu was taken into custody last Wednesday.
Earlier, the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) formally named İmamoğlu as its presidential candidate.
İmamoğlu, 54, was transferred Sunday to Marmara Prison following a court order related to ongoing corruption and terrorism investigations.
