Turkey makes 11 arrests over shopping-boycott calls in support of jailed mayor

Fine art university students shout slogans as they march past an Expresso Lab coffee bar during a peaceful protest after Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey (Francisco Seco/AP)

Turkish police detained 11 people for supporting a shopping boycott as part of protests against the imprisonment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival, state-run media reported.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects in an investigation into “hatred and discrimination” and “inciting hatred and hostility” among the public, the Anadolu news agency said.

Among those detained was actor Cem Yigit Uzumoglu, who played Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the Netflix docuseries “Rise of Empires: Ottoman”, the Actors’ Union said.

University students sit next to anti riot police officers in Istanbul, Turkey (Huseyin Aldemir/AP)

The suspects were held over social media posts calling on people to not to spend money on Wednesday and for businesses to shut their doors in solidarity during the day-long boycott.

Large-scale anti-government protests began last month after the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on alleged corruption charges that critics say are politically motivated.

The government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.

Members of Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, or CHP, were attacked by a man with a knife on Thursday as they collected signatures in support of Imamoglu.

The opposition-supporting Halk TV showed images of the man brawling with staff in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.

One party member was injured and police arrested the perpetrator, a local party official said.

Istanbul prosecutors on Tuesday launched a criminal investigation into earlier boycott calls by Imamoglu’s party targeting companies it alleges support the government.

In particular, the opposition identified media firms that did not air images of protests in which hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to call for Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding.

The leader of the CHP issued a warning after authorities blocked social media accounts supporting Wednesday’s boycott.

“We know that you have closed hundreds of pages to date,” Ozgur Ozel wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“If you become a tool for anti-democratic practices today, if you implement access ban demands, think carefully about what this nation will do to you!”

According to the independent Anka News Agency, some 2,000 people have been detained since Imamoglu was arrested on March 19, with 316 jailed pending trial.

Most face charges relating to participating in protests.

Lawyers for imprisoned protesters on Wednesday said many had suffered mistreatment.

The government has not responded to the allegations but on Thursday the police issued a statement denying claims that women had been sexually assaulted in custody as “vile slanders”.

While in prison, Imamoglu has been confirmed as the CHP’s presidential candidate.

The next election is currently scheduled for 2028 but is likely to take place earlier.