Protests Continue for Second Day in Turkey After Arrest of Istanbul Mayor

Protesters gathered in Istanbul for a second day on March 20 after police detained the city's powerful mayor in a graft and terror probe that the opposition has slammed as a political "coup".

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ISTANBUL -

Ekrem Imamoglu, who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, was detained by hundreds of police officers before dawn on March 19, four days before he was to be named as the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) candidate for the 2028 race.

The move sent Turkey's financial markets into a tailspin, dealing a heavy blow to the Turkish lira that was trading at around 38 to the US dollar on March 20.

Imamoglu on March 20 urged the judiciary to take a stand against the Turkish government's misuse of the courts to order his detention.

"I also call on tens of thousands of honourable, moral prosecutors and judges... You should stand up and take action against those colleagues who are ruining the judiciary... You cannot and must not remain silent," he wrote on his X account in a message transmitted via his lawyers.

Turkey's Central Bank said it would draw on its foreign exchange reserves if needed to prevent further harm to the lira, with economists saying it had already done so on March 19.

Police barricades remained up around Taksim Square and there was a heavy police presence around City Hall to enforce a four-day ban on protests.