Turkey is bracing for more civil unrest, after at least 340 protestors were arrested overnight Friday during a third day of demonstrations calling for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign.
Violent clashes between demonstrators and police were sparked by Wednesday’s arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – a top political rival of Erdogan.
Imamoglu was arrested on alleged financial crimes and links to insurgent Kurdish militants, as part of an escalating government crackdown on opposition leaders. As many as 100 others were also detained.
Supporters slammed the charges as politically motivated.
The arrest came mere hours before Imamoglu was nominated as a presidential candidate for the country’s main opposition party to Erdogan, in an election currently scheduled for 2028.
Imamoglu was questioned by Turkish police for five hours Saturday and is expected to be transferred to a courthouse to face possible charges.
Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets calling for Erdogan’s resignation, in more than a dozen cities across the country. The protests have spread even as the government banned public gatherings on Wednesday, Politico reported.
