- Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities had identified 261 social media accounts that were spreading provocative posts inciting public hatred or crime.
- Imamoglu's arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as the opposition Republican People's Party's presidential candidate.
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have detained 37 people for spreading “provocative” content on social media, the interior minister said on Thursday, continuing a crackdown on dissent that has intensified since the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, a potential rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested after an early morning raid on his residence on Wednesday as part of an investigation into alleged links to corruption and terrorism. Several other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.
The detention of a popular opposition leader and key Erdogan rival has heightened concerns about democracy and sparked protests in Istanbul and elsewhere despite a four-day ban on demonstrations in the city and road closures. Hundreds of university students marched peacefully in Istanbul on Thursday to protest the detentions.
It also sent shockwaves through the financial market, prompting a temporary halt in trading to prevent panic selling.
Critics see the crackdown as an attempt by Erdogan to extend his more than two decades of rule after the ruling party suffered significant losses in local elections last year. Government officials reject claims that the lawsuits against the opposition are politically motivated and insist that the courts act independently.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities had identified 261 social media accounts that shared provocative posts inciting public hatred or crime, including 62 accounts run by people based abroad. At least 37 suspected owners have been detained and efforts to apprehend more suspects are ongoing, he wrote on the X social media platform.
Imamoglu's arrest came just days before he was expected to be nominated as the opposition Republican People's Party's presidential candidate in Sunday's primaries. The party's leader said the primaries would go ahead as planned.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed concern over the mayor's detention, saying it was a “very, very bad sign” for Turkey's relations with the European Union.
Scholz said it was “depressing for democracy in Turkey, but certainly also depressing for relations between Europe and Turkey.”
“We can only call for this to stop immediately and for the opposition and the government to compete with each other, rather than for the opposition to be brought to court,” he said.
Prosecutors accused Imamoglu of using his position for financial gain, including misallocating government contracts.
In a separate investigation, prosecutors also accuse Imamoglu of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by allegedly forming an alliance with Kurdish groups for municipal elections in Istanbul. The PKK, which has been behind Turkey's decades-long insurgency, is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and other allies.
It is not clear when authorities will begin questioning the mayor, who can be held without charge for up to four days. Analysts say Imamoglu could be removed from office and replaced by a “trusted mayor” if he is formally accused of PKK ties.
Before his arrest, Imamoglu already faced several criminal cases that could lead to prison time and a political ban. He is also appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could lead to a political ban.
The university this week revoked his degree, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to the business school, a decision Imamoglu said he would challenge. The decision effectively bars him from running for president, a position that requires candidates to have a college degree.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which has controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s party had sought to overturn the municipal election results in the city of 16 million people, alleging irregularities.
The dispute led to a repeat election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat after local elections last year in which his party made significant gains against Erdogan's ruling party.
