After the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, Turkey, the police detained at least 1,300 people who participated in the demonstration. He is the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, they were arrested during five days of demonstrations. Imamoglu was arrested last Wednesday after preparing to run for the 2028 presidential election from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
A Turkish court on Sunday ordered the arrest of Imamoglu and his detention pending the outcome of his corruption case. Imamoglu has been accused of establishing and managing a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extorting money, and rigging the tender process. But Imamoglu has been denying the allegations against him.
After the arrest of Imamoglu, supporters have been protesting for five days. According to international media, there are also widespread demonstrations in Ankara and Izmir. These are the biggest performances in Turkey in a few years . International media have reported that the security forces have severely suppressed the demonstration. The participants of the demonstration raised slogans of 'rights, law and justice'. 
BBC reported that the participants in the
demonstration said that they participated in the demonstration to defend democracy and not because they were supporters of the political cause or the opposition. Most of them say that they are fighting for a credible future and are ready to be arrested for it.
In Turkey, Imamoglu is considered one of Erdogan's most powerful political rivals. He is one of more than a hundred people arrested for investigation, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen.
A day before the arrest, Istanbul University announced the cancellation of Imamoglu's degree due to alleged irregularities . It is assumed that this action was taken to prevent him from being a presidential candidate. According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.
Erdogan has been holding the responsibilities of both the Prime Minister and the President of Turkey for the past 22 years . But due to term limits, he cannot run again in 2028 unless the constitution is changed.
