Topic: Ekrem Imamoglu

Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Istanbul to support jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the presidential candidate for the opposition CHP party. The BBC reports that the Turkish government has detained 1,900 people, including seven journalists, in a crackdown following the mayor's arrest. Authorities are reportedly using extensive CCTV networks to identify and record the faces of all demonstration participants.

Turkish authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and over 100 other individuals on charges of corruption and aiding the outlawed PKK. The move is widely viewed by the opposition as a political maneuver by President Erdoğan to disqualify his strongest rival from the next presidential election, especially following the revocation of İmamoğlu's university diploma. The Turkish lira plummeted 15% against the dollar following the arrests, signaling significant economic instability.