Journalists ‘targeted’
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”.
“For four days, they have been doing everything they can to disturb the peace and divide our people,” railed Erdogan on Saturday.
“The days when politics and justice are guided by street terror are totally in the past,” he said.
Earlier in the evening, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said the authorities would not allow anyone to enter or leave the city who was “likely to participate in illegal activities”.
Police have arrested 343 people since the start of the protests, the interior ministry said on Friday.
Türkiye’s Journalists Union claimed the police had “deliberately targeted” journalists, saying many had been “severely beaten, shot with rubber bullets and had equipment broken”.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) also denounced the “heavy-handed and completely arbitrary” violence against journalists, demanding those responsible be “severely punished”.
Despite Imamoglu’s detention, the CHP has vowed to press ahead with its primary on Sunday at which it would formally nominate him as the party’s presidential candidate.
It has pledged to open voting to anyone, not just party members, in the hope of garnering massive support for the beleaguered mayor, who is widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging Erdogan.
Observers said the government would likely seek to block the vote.
