Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested in a dawn raid on his residence on Wednesday over alleged corruption and terror links, escalating a crackdown on opposition figures and dissenting voices. Several other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained

Many view the arrest as a politically driven attempt to remove a popular opposition figure and key challenger to Erdogan from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028

Government officials reject claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that the courts operate independently

Cumhuriyet newspaper and other media reported that police began questioning Imamoglu Friday afternoon. The mayor can be detained without charges for up to four days

Since Imamoglu's arrest, thousands of people have gathered at Istanbul's city hall for night-time rallies, and clashes have erupted between demonstrators and police in Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, and Turkey's third largest city, Izmir

The most violent clash took place at Ankara's Middle East Technical University late Thursday, when police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstration and students claimed rubber bullets were used. The government has denied the use of the bullets

The interior ministry said more than 50 people were detained and 16 police officers were injured following the protests

On Friday, authorities in Ankara and Izmir announced a five-day prohibition on demonstrations, following a similar ban imposed earlier by the Istanbul governor's office. The bans came after the country's justice minister acknowledged people's right to demonstrate but said street protests amid ongoing judicial investigations were unacceptable

Still, Ozgur Ozel, the chairman of the Republican People's Party, CHP, made a fresh appeal for people to gather and demonstrate