Turkey detains nine journalists over protests against Istanbul mayor’s arrest, union says

Riot police officers use anti-riot rifles and pepper spray to clear protesters during a protest after Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 23, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

“Turkish authorities have detained nine journalists who covered overnight protests in several cities against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu,” the Journalists Union of Turkey said on Monday (March 24, 2025). It was not immediately clear why the journalists were detained.

A Turkish court on Sunday (March 23, 2025) jailed Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, pending trial on corruption charges in a move that triggered the country’s biggest protests in more than a decade.

Thousands rally in Istanbul as Erdogan issues warning against protests over Mayor’s arrest

Despite bans on street gatherings in many cities, mostly peaceful anti-government demonstrations were held for a fifth night in a row on Sunday (March 23, 2025.)

The main Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have been calling for protests against the court decision on Mr. Imamoglu, which they label as politicised and undemocratic.

The government denies that the investigations are politically motivated and says the courts are independent. Mr. Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as “unimaginable accusations and slanders” and called for nationwide protests.

More than 340 held after mass protests in Turkiye

In an address to the demonstration in Istanbul’s Sarachane district in front of the municipality building, CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said on Sunday (March 23, 2025) that they would continue the protests until Mr. Imamoglu is released.

“An Agence France Presse staff photographer is among the detained journalists,” the union said in a post on X.