Turkey Detains 37 People Over Social Media Posts Following Erdogan Rival's Arrest | rssama.com

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities detained 37 group for sharing “provocative” contented connected societal media, nan interior curate said Thursday, pressing up pinch a crackdown connected dissenting voices that escalated pinch nan arrest of nan politician of Istanbul, a imaginable challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested aft a dawn ambush connected his residence connected Wednesday arsenic portion of investigations into alleged corruption and panic links. Several different salient figures, including 2 territory mayors, were besides detained.

The detention of a celebrated guidance leader and cardinal Erdogan rival deepened concerns complete populist and sparked protests successful Istanbul and elsewhere, contempt a four-day prohibition connected demonstrations successful nan metropolis and roadworthy closures. Several group were detained pursuing a student protestation successful nan capital, Ankara, that continued into nan night.

It besides caused a shockwave successful nan financial market, triggering impermanent halts successful trading to forestall panic selling.

Critics spot nan crackdown arsenic an effort by Erdogan to widen his much past two-decade norm pursuing important losses by nan ruling statement successful section elections past year. Government officials cull claims that ineligible actions against guidance figures are politically motivated and insist that nan courts run independently.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said authorities identified 261 societal media accounts that shared provocative posts inciting nationalist hatred aliases crime, including 62 that are tally by group based abroad. At slightest 37 of nan suspected owners were detained successful a cognition constabulary and cyber crime teams, he wrote connected nan X societal media platform. Efforts to detain different suspects were continuing, he said.

Imamoglu’s apprehension came conscionable days earlier he was expected to beryllium nominated arsenic nan guidance Republican People’s Party’s statesmanlike campaigner successful a superior scheduled for Sunday. The party’s leader has said nan superior will spell up arsenic planned.

Prosecutors accused Imamoglu of exploiting his position for financial gain, including nan improper allocation of authorities contracts.

In a abstracted investigation, prosecutors besides impeach Imamoglu of aiding nan outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, aliases PKK, by allegedly forming an confederation pinch a Kurdish umbrella statement for nan Istanbul municipal elections. The PKK, down a decades-long insurgency successful Turkey, is designated a violent statement by Ankara, Washington and different allies.

It was not clear erstwhile authorities would statesman questioning nan mayor, who tin beryllium detained without charges for up to 4 days. Analysts opportunity Imamoglu could beryllium removed from agency and replaced by a “trustee mayor” if he is formally charged pinch links to nan PKK.

Before his detention, Imamoglu already faced aggregate criminal cases that could consequence successful situation sentences and a governmental ban. He is besides appealing a 2022 condemnation for insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a lawsuit that could consequence successful a governmental ban.

This week, a assemblage nullified his diploma, citing alleged irregularities successful his 1990 transportation from a backstage assemblage successful bluish Cyprus to its business faculty, a determination Imamoglu said he would challenge. The determination efficaciously bars him from moving for president, since nan position requires candidates to beryllium assemblage graduates.

Imamoglu was elected politician of Turkey’s largest metropolis successful March 2019, a historical rustle to Erdogan and nan president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s statement pushed to void nan municipal predetermination results successful nan metropolis of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The situation resulted successful a repetition of nan predetermination a fewer months later, which Imamoglu besides won. The politician retained his spot pursuing section elections past year, during which his statement made important gains against Erdogan’s governing party.

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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

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Turkeyistanbulrecep tayyip erdoganEkrem Imamoglu