KABUL: Following the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, and about 100 others on Wednesday by the Turkish government, thousands took to the streets to protest, Reuters reported.
The demonstrations took place on Wednesday night in front of the Istanbul municipality building.
According to the report, protesters interpreted Imamoglu’s arrest—he is considered a potential candidate for the Turkish presidential elections—as a coup against the future president of the country by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.
During the protests, demonstrators expressed their opposition to Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest and called for the resignation of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Opposition parties in Turkey have described the recent arrests, including that of the Istanbul mayor, as politically motivated actions by the government.
These protests followed the Turkish media report yesterday about the detention of 100 individuals, including journalists, civil activists, and specifically Ekrem Imamoglu.
According to reports, the Turkish government arrested Imamoglu on charges of aiding a terrorist group.