ISTANBUL: Istanbul's embattled opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, vowed on Sunday to fight on after a court formalised his arrest — a move that has sparked Türkiye's worst street unrest in more than a decade. Four days after he was detained up in a pre-dawn raid by hundreds of police, a court formally placed Imamoglu under arrest in a graft investigation, one of his lawyers said, vowing to appeal. But the court decided against formalising his arrest in a separate "terror" probe, he said.
The rulings came after a fourth night of street protests across Türkiye that descended into heavy clashes with riot police in Istanbul and the capital Ankara. The court's decision came as the main opposition CHP party cast its ballots in a long-planned primary to elect Imamoglu as its candidate in the 2028 presidential election.
The move against him sparked protests that quickly spread from Istanbul to at least 55 of Türkiye's 81 provinces, with police arresting 323 people overnight, officials said. — AFP
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