Turkey arrests hundreds after Istanbul mayor protests:
Won't step down- Erdogan
March 22-
Turkish authorities have detained 343 people during overnight protests in several cities against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
Demonstrations took place in more than a dozen cities including Turkey’s biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, the ministry said in a statement.
It said the detentions were made to prevent “disrupting of public order” and warned that authorities would not tolerate “chaos and provocation.”
Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when Imamoglu was detained on charges such as graft and aiding a terrorist group. He is President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival who leads him in some opinion polls.
The mayor’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition, condemned the move as politically motivated and urged supporters to demonstrate lawfully.
ens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets in mostly peaceful demonstrations since Wednesday, when Imamoglu was arrested over alleged links to corruption and terrorism.
According to a count by the AFP news agency, there have been demonstrations in at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces so far. On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech that authorities “would not allow public order to be damaged,” and vowed not to “give in to vandalism or street terrorism.”
Dozens arrested for social media posts
Meanwhile, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that Turkish police have detained 56 people accused of inciting unrest through provocative social media posts.
Detention warrants were issued for a total of 94 suspects accused of posting “provocative” calls for protests and creating public “panic,” Anadolu quoted the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office as saying.
According to Anadolu, police carried out simultaneous raids, detaining 56 and searching for 38 others. Authorities seized illegal drugs during searches of the suspects’ homes, the agency added.
Courtesy: Agencies
