Turkey detained 37 people accused of "provocative" social media posts

20/3/2025 16:56

Turkey detained 37 people accused of "provocative" social media posts over the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the government said on Thursday, seeking to quell protests.



Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, was taken on Wednesday on charges including graft and aiding a terrorist group, a move the main opposition party condemned as a "coup attempt against the next president".



Thousands of protesters have taken to streets and university campuses in various cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, with crowds chanting anti-government slogans, despite a four-day ban on gatherings imposed after Imamoglu's arrest.



Turkish authorities identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 based abroad, for "provocative posts inciting crime and hatred" following the detention of Imamoglu and 105 others, and were continuing efforts to track down the remaining suspects, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X.



The minister added that 18.6 million posts about Imamoglu were shared on X within 24 hours of his detention. The popular 54-year-old leads Erdogan in some opinion polls.