Imamoglu, president Receptacle Erdogan’s main political rival, was arrested at dawn on Wednesday just days before he was nominated as a candidate for the leading opposition CHP party in the 2028 presidential election, AFP reported.
His party has denounced the detention as a “coup” and vowed to maintain demonstrations that have spread to at least 32 of Turkey’s 81 provinces by Thursday night, according to AFP Count.
Opposition leader Ozgar Ozel urged the Turkish people to go to the streets at 1730 GMT after the end of daily Ramadan, despite warnings that such a call from the Justice Minister was “illegal and unacceptable.”
Thousands refused a protest ban in Istanbul and gathered outside the city hall every night to support the mayor, with authorities extending the ban on Friday in the capital Ankara and Izmir on the west coast.
MNA