Vast crowds of students flooded Istanbul’s streets on Monday in the latest wave of protests against the arrest and imprisonment of the city’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. His detention on March 19 has triggered Turkiye’s most intense unrest in years, spreading to at least 55 of the country’s 81 provinces and leading to clashes with riot police, as well as international condemnation.

Authorities have detained over 1,130 people in the past six days, including 43 on Monday night, according to the interior minister. Among those arrested were journalists, including a photographer from AFP.

Imamoglu, 53, a key figure in the opposition CHP party, is widely regarded as the only politician capable of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an election. On Monday, the CHP, the second-largest party in parliament, officially nominated him as their candidate for the 2028 presidential race despite his imprisonment.

Within just four days, Imamoglu transitioned from serving as Istanbul’s mayor—a position that had once propelled Erdogan’s political rise—to being arrested, interrogated, jailed, and stripped of his office over allegations of corruption and terrorism.

Student-led protests and public defiance

On Monday, students in both Istanbul and Ankara announced they would boycott lectures at major universities, gathering in the streets in protest.

In Istanbul, chanting and flag-waving students marched toward Besiktas, a port on the Bosphorus, as residents expressed solidarity by applauding and banging saucepans, AFP reported.

After rallying at the port, protesters moved along the coastline toward the historic peninsula to join the nightly demonstration outside City Hall. CHP leader Özgür Özel addressed the massive crowd, declaring, “This is not a gathering; this is resistance against fascism!”

Protesters held banners, including one directed at Erdogan that read, “Your palaces, our streets.” Özel also called for a boycott of pro-government TV channels that refused to cover the protests, as well as businesses with government ties, such as a well-known café chain.

Erdogan responds

Following a cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan accused the opposition of inciting the protests.

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“Stop playing with the nation’s nerves,” he warned, while also asserting that the government had the economic situation under control, stating, “We have successfully managed the recent market fluctuations.”

Observers suggest the legal action against Imamoglu was triggered by his growing popularity ahead of the CHP’s presidential primary, in which he was overwhelmingly selected as the party’s 2028 candidate.

Market turmoil

The turmoil surrounding Imamoglu’s arrest has rattled financial markets, causing the lira to plummet. The BIST 100 stock index dropped nearly 8% on Friday before recovering about 3% on Monday.

This comes as Turkiye’s top economic officials will speak with foreign investors on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported, with this being the latest attempt by the government to calm markets as Imamoglu's detention triggered billions of dollars in outflows from Turkish assets.

Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan are scheduled to speak at 1 pm London time in a teleconference organized by Citigroup Inc. and Deutsche Bank, the Treasury said on its website, confirming a report first published by Bloomberg News. The lira held steady, while Turkish stocks and bonds advanced early on Tuesday.

According to Bloomberg, the two economy chiefs are expected to reinforce President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge yesterday to maintain the broadly investor-friendly policies in place since Simsek, a former Wall Street banker, was appointed in mid-2023.

The lira stabilized late Monday after Erdogan publicly endorsed Simsek’s economic program, and was trading little changed at 37.9823 per dollar as of 11:24 am in Istanbul on Tuesday. Turkiye’s main equities index rose 2.7%, extending Monday’s advance after a 17% drop last week.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is slated to meet with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Washington on Tuesday. US officials have largely avoided criticism of Turkiye since Imamoglu was detained, with State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce last week calling it an internal judicial matter.

“It looks like officials are trying to draw a line in the sand, hoping that the political storm will blow over and markets will forget the whole thing,” said Nick Rees, the head of macro research at Monex Europe Ltd in London. “For now, it seems to be working.”

International condemnation

Imamoglu’s jailing has drawn sharp criticism from international governments. Germany labeled the move “totally unacceptable", while Greece stated that any attempts to undermine civil liberties “cannot be tolerated.”

The European Union urged Ankara to demonstrate “a clear commitment to democratic norms,” while France’s Foreign Ministry condemned the arrest as a “serious attack on democracy.”

On its part, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the immediate release of the detained journalists, with RSF’s Turkiye representative Erol Önderoğlu denouncing the arrests.

Imamoglu’s wife, Dilek Kaya Imamoglu, also criticized the crackdown, stating, “What is being done to journalists is a matter of freedom. None of us can remain silent.” From behind bars, Imamoglu sent a message through his lawyers, vowing to continue his fight:

“I wear a white shirt that you cannot stain. I have a strong arm that you cannot twist. I won’t budge an inch. I will win this war.”