Turkey Detains 37 People Over Social Media Posts on Imamoglu

By Staff, Agencies

Turkey arrested 37 individuals for allegedly posting "provocative posts inciting crime and hatred" in response to the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday.

Imamoglu, a leading opponent of President Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday on charges including corruption and supporting a terrorist group. The main opposition party condemned this as a "coup attempt against the next president."

Authorities in Turkey identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 located abroad, which shared "provocative posts" after Imamoglu's arrest, and 105 others have been detained.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects. He also revealed that over 18.6 million posts about Imamoglu were shared on X within 24 hours of his detention.

Thousands of Turks took to the streets on Wednesday night in multiple cities to protest the arrest of Imamoglu on corruption charges.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Istanbul, Ankara, Trabzon, and Izmir, calling for the resignation of Erdogan’s government.

Following Imamoglu's arrest, the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)—of which he is a leading member—called for nationwide demonstrations and urged its supporters to gather outside party offices across Turkey.

According to Turkish media, riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters, as tensions escalated in major cities.