Turkey: Ankara detains several journalists amid crackdown on the media
New Delhi: The Turkish authorities detained several Journalists amid the ongoing protest over the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor and top rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the media reported on Monday.
On Sunday, a court formally ordered the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and jailed him for a pending trial on corruption charges.
His detention sparked outrage and raised questions regarding the Islamist country’s press freedom, law, and order. Imamoglu was convicted on the suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, and illegally recording personal data. But he has denied all the allegations.
The Interior Ministry later announced that he was suspended from duty as a temporary measure. The municipality had previously appointed an acting mayor from its governing council.
The politician was taken to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, as more than 1.7 million members of his opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) held a primary election, endorsing him as its presidential candidate. Millions of non-members also cast votes in a solidarity ballot, the party said.
Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were also jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul, one of whom was replaced with a government appointee. A further 44 suspects were released under judicial control.
