Massive protests erupt in Turkey as Istanbul mayor detained

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets across Turkey's major cities following the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Transcript

00:00Outrage has swept across Turkey's major cities as thousands protest the detention of Istanbul

00:12Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

00:15On Sunday, a court charged and jailed İmamoğlu pending a corruption trial, sparking the nation's

00:20largest anti-government demonstrations in over a decade.

00:28Amid escalating unrest, police have detained at least 323 individuals as protests continue

00:34to intensify nationwide.

00:41Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely viewed as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's primary political

00:46rival, is a leading figure in the Republican People's Party or the CHP, the main opposition

00:51party founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

00:58His 2019 election as Istanbul's mayor ended 25 years of control by Erdoğan's Justice

01:04and Development Party or AKP, marking a significant political shift in Turkey's largest city.

01:14Ekrem İmamoğlu was set to become the opposition presidential candidate following an internal

01:18party vote on Sunday.

01:20However, Istanbul University recently annulled his diploma, citing irregularities in his

01:27transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus, effectively barring him from running

01:32for president.

01:34Support for İmamoğlu has grown amid Turkey's deepening economic challenges and allegations

01:39of authoritarianism against President Erdoğan, who has maintained power for two decades.