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.

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)

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

Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have returned to the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, to show support for the city's jailed mayor. Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seen as the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

Hundreds of thousands of Turks nationwide have heeded opposition calls to protest since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained last week and then jailed pending trial on graft charges.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Istanbul joined one of the biggest demonstrations in recent Turkish history on Saturday to protest against the government and the controversial imprisonment of deposed mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Cihan Sincar clings to hope that Turkey's bid to end a decades-old Kurdish insurgency brings the peace her lawmaker husband sought before his assassination - one of hundreds of political killings at the height of the conflict.

Supporters of the political opposition are finding ways to fight back after the government jailed the top political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The party of the ousted Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has demanded the release of hundreds of imprisoned protesters. "Chanting slogans, marching, or protesting is not a crime, but a right enshrined in the constitution,