Protests in Turkey Are Biggest in a Decade

Turkey has been roiled by protests and mass arrests over the past week, all stemming from the jailing of Istanbul's mayor—a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Details, per the AP:

• A court on Sunday formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges. His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade, deepening concerns over democracy and the rule of law.
• A total of 1,133 people have been detained since the mayor was arrested at his home, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. As many as 123 police officers were injured in the protests, he said, adding that materials such as acid, firebombs, and knives were seized.

• A media union said Turkish authorities arrested several journalists at their homes on Monday. The Disk-Basin-Is media workers' union said at least eight reporters and photojournalists were detained in what it called an "attack on press freedoms and the people's right to learn the truth." It called for their immediate release.
• In a message on social media, Imamoglu urged people to rally outside city hall and other locations for a sixth night on Monday. He also called on youths to avoid clashes and asked police to treat demonstrators with kindness.
• In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan accused the opposition party's chairman Ozgur Ozel, who has called for peaceful protests, of disturbing public order instead of addressing the alleged corruption. He also said he would be held to account for the protests.
• The social media platform X said it was objecting to multiple court orders from Turkish authorities to block more than 700 accounts, including of news organizations, journalists, and political figures in Turkey.
• The mayor's jailing is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major challenger to Erdogan from the next presidential race, scheduled for 2028. Government officials reject the accusations and insist that Turkey's courts operate independently. He was jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data, and bid-rigging—accusations he has denied.

(More Turkey stories.)