Istanbul's opposition-run municipal council on Wednesday elected an interim mayor to run the city, after mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial over graft charges that he and his supporters deny and call politicised.

The head of Turkey’s main opposition party has visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.

Turkish authorities detained and deported BBC correspondent Mark Lowen​ and arrested other journalists amid the largest nationwide protests in a decade.

Turkish authorities released a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, after detaining him overnight, an attorney for the lawyer said on Friday.

Supporters of the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, said that corruption charges against him were a ploy to hobble the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

People wave flags of Turkey atop a garbage truck during a rally called by the Republican People's Party (CHP) in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imanoglu in Maltepe, on the outskirts of Istanbul on March 29, 2025 (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP)

Umit Bektas/Reuters Supported by By Ben Hubbard Reporting from Istanbul Turkey has been plunged into a political crisis after the authorities arrested Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and the ...

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is the candidate for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) for Turkey’s 2028 election. REUTERS “When we look at the history of humanity, in all countries ...

The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has ignited mass protests in Turkey, raising concerns over political suppression, media crackdown, and Erdogan’s tightening grip ahead of the 2028 elections.