Türkiye: Mass protests continue – several journalists in custody

More than a week after the popular opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested, the Turkish government continues to go hard against its supporters. Among other things, the lawyer İmamoğlus was temporarily arrested on Friday. In the afternoon it was said that he was at large again. In addition to demonstrators that continue to the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, other journalists were also set, including a Swedish reporter. A large rally in Istanbul was planned for Saturday.

The imprisoned and dismissed Mayor of Istanbul İmamoğlu announced the arrest of his lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan in the morning and asked for his immediate release. The arrest was due to “invented reasons”, wrote İmamoğlu in the online service X.

It was initially not known for the reason for the Pehlivan justification. The opposition broadcaster Halk TV reported that the lawyer was accused of “money laundering from assets from a crime”. Pehlivan was later released, but he must not leave the country.

İmamoğlu is the most promising rival of President Erdoğan, his arrest last week had triggered the largest opposition demonstrations in Turkey since the 2013 Gezi protests.

Despite a ban on assembly and although the police are increasing with increasing hardness against the demonstrators, thousands of people protested again on Thursday evening. On Friday, too, students demonstrated in a park in the capital Ankara.

In early Friday morning, several people were brought out of their apartments, including two journalists. “Another raid at dawn,” said the TGS journalist union on X.

For a few days, the authorities have been increasingly against the media that report on the protests. On Monday, eleven journalists were arrested in Istanbul and Izmir, including the photographer of the AFP news agency, Yasin Akgül. You are now at large again.

On Thursday, the broadcasting supervisory authority imposed a ten -day broadcaster for the opposition channel Sözcü TV. The broadcaster was accused of “hatred and hostilities”. In addition, a correspondent of the British broadcaster BBC, which had reported on the protests, was shown.

On Friday it became known that a Swedish journalist was arrested on Thursday when he entered Turkey. According to the Interior Ministry on Thursday, almost 2,000 people have been arrested since the start of the mass protests.

The government’s violent action against the protests is affected internationally. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “worried” on Thursday. Washington does not like to see such instability in the government of a country that is such a close ally, “he said to journalists.

The Green politician Cem Özdemir also called for “cooperation and criticism” when dealing with Turkey: “We can no longer afford naivety in dealing with autocrates. Erdoğan is not a reliable partner. Cooperation and clear criticism-we need both, otherwise the Turkish-born politician said in an interview with the AFP news agency.

According to Özdemir, Erdoğan had not expected the arrest of İmamoğlus to trigger such a violent reaction among the population. “The extent of the protests probably surprised the regime because Erdoğan has been through his maneuvers in the past,” said the incumbent Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture as well as education and research.

İmamoğlu was arrested on March 19. On Sunday, a court ordered pre -trial detention for him for accusations of corruption. A little later, the Ministry of the Interior suspended him from his office as mayor. Nevertheless, İmamoğlu was voted presidential candidate by his left -wing nationalist party Chp on Monday.