Türkiye court detains Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu pending corruption trial

A Turkish court said it jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu pending trial on graft charges, in a move likely to stoke the country's biggest protests against President Tayyip Erdogan's government in more than a decade.

Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was also facing terrorism charges.

The decision was confirmed by one of Imamoglu's lawyers, with the court also due to rule in a second "terror-related" probe into the popular opposition mayor.

On Sunday, the court said that at least 20 others were jailed as part of a corruption investigation along with Imamoglu. 

"We will, hand in hand, uproot this blow, this black stain on our democracy... I am standing tall, I will not bow down," Imamoglu said in a post on X.

"No despair! Keep fighting!" wrote the CHP party on X, denouncing it as "a political coup d'etat."

The news came as voters cast their ballots in a CHP primary to name Imamoglu the party's candidate for the 2028 presidential race.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Türkiye would not tolerate any threats to public order and he vowed to stand firm against vandalism and street violence, amid growing protests against the detention of Istanbul's mayor.

"We will not allow public order to be damaged. We will not give in to vandalism or street terrorism," Erdogan said in a speech.

Over 300 protesters arrested on Saturday evening, interior ministry says

He was detained in connection with two probes alleging graft and "aiding a terror organization"- accusations which he told police were "immoral and baseless."

The move against him sparked protests in Istanbul that have since spread to more than 55 of Türkiye's 81 provinces, unleashing running battles with police.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 323 people were arrested on Saturday evening. 

"No attempt to undermine public order will be allowed!" he added.

Polls opened at 8:00 am local time (0500 GMT) with 5,600 ballot boxes in 81 cities. The CHP said the vote was open to everyone, not just members, in the hope of a massive show of support for Imamoglu.

"I invite our nation... to the ballot box. We are casting our vote to support President Ekrem: for democracy, justice and the future," said his wife, Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, on X, shortly after voting with her son Selim. "We are not afraid and we will never give up."

Earlier, opposition leader and CHP head Ozgur Ozel said he and the mayor's wife had been allowed to spend five minutes with Imamoglu after the prosecution ended its all-night interrogation, saying he was in good spirits.

Erdogan: Authorities would not tolerate 'street terror'

"He said this process had led to a great awakening for Türkiye which he was happy about," said Ozel, who put turnout at the Istanbul protest Saturday at more than half a million.

Riot police used rubber bullets, pepper spray and percussion grenades on the Istanbul protesters, toughening their methods shortly after midnight (2100 GMT) and forcing those who could to take refuge inside City Hall building.

In the capital Ankara, riot police used water cannons to push back protesters, while in the western coastal city of Izmir police blocked a student march headed towards the local offices of the ruling AKP party.

The nightly protests began shortly after Imamoglu was taken to the courthouse to answer prosecutors' questions in the two investigations.

Police set up a tight security cordon around the courthouse, where around 1,000 protesters stood nearby shouting slogans.

On Saturday, the 53-year-old mayor denied the charges against him, telling police his arrest had done untold damage to Türkiye's image, in a statement released by City Hall.

"This process has not only harmed Türkiye's international reputation but has also shattered the public's sense of justice and trust in the economy," he said.

The move against him badly hurt the lira and caused chaos in Türkiye's financial markets, with the benchmark BIST 100 index closing nearly eight percent lower on Friday.

The unrest has spread rapidly despite a protest ban in Türkiye's three largest cities and a warning from Erdogan that the authorities would not tolerate "street terror."