Ten journalists have been arrested in Turkey while covering protests against the detention of opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu.
The arrests took place on Monday in Istanbul and other cities, according to the Turkish NGO MLSA, which advocates for press freedom.
Among those arrested is a photographer from the news agency AFP. Most of the journalists were reportedly present at a Sunday evening protest in Istanbul that attracted tens of thousands of participants.
Clashes broke out between protesters and riot police, following a pattern observed in previous days.
Since last Wednesday, more than 1,130 protesters have been detained, according to the Turkish Minister of Interior.
Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu was detained on Wednesday in an investigation into corruption and terrorism charges. He has called these allegations politically motivated.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Interior announced that Imamoglu was “temporarily” suspended as mayor.
On the same day, he was selected as the presidential candidate for his centre-left party, CHP.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the opposition mayor of Istanbul, has called on the Turkish justice system to act and not remain silent. Imamoglu made this appeal in a message posted on X by his lawyers.
He urges members of the judiciary to address a few colleagues who are tarnishing the justice system, embarrassing Turkey internationally, and damaging its reputation.
Addressing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan without naming him, Imamoglu accuses him of numerous indiscretions that cannot be explained domestically or internationally.
Imamoglu emphasises the need for national unity against this wrongdoing, referencing the revocation of his university degree on Tuesday by Istanbul University, which prevents him from running in the upcoming presidential election according to the Constitution.
