Unlike X, which has suspended social media accounts at the request of the Turkish government, Meta says it has faced heavy fines in Turkey for refusing to do so.

A court formally arrested Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan early on Sunday and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges. View on euronews

Istanbul’s public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into recent opposition calls for a boycott of pro-government businesses following the arrest of the city’s mayor.

Critics say the arrest of Istanbul's mayor is part of a mounting crackdown by Turkey's president to silence all dissent.

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)

Dilek Imamoglu, the wife of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, has played a prominent role in the protests and rallies held since his arrest.

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.

The detention last week of Mr Imamoglu, the biggest political rival of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, triggered the largest anti-government demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade and led to mass arrests, as hundreds of thousands heeded opposition calls and took to the streets in mostly peaceful protests.

The head of Turkey’s main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release. Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges,

His detention is viewed by many—including rights organizations and foreign governments—as politically motivated, aimed at stifling a key opposition figure who poses a significant challenge to Erdogan’s long-standing rule.