Ekrem Emamoglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the mayor of the city of Istanbul, has been formally arrested and charged with corruption. A Turkish court on Sunday ordered the arrest of Imamoglu and his detention pending trial on corruption charges. He was taken into custody last Wednesday.

Imamoglu is expected to be selected as the official candidate by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in the 2028 presidential election. Imamoglu has denied the allegations against him. "I will never give in," he said after being taken into custody. Prosecutors accused Imamoglu of "establishing and managing a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extorting money, illegally recording personal data and rigging the tender process". 

Earlier, Imamoglu was accused of "supporting armed terrorist organizations". But the court said that it was not considered necessary to arrest Imamoglu, who was already arrested on charges of corruption. In last year's local elections, the CHP formed an alliance with the pro-Kurdish People's Equality and Democracy Party (DEM). DEM has been accused of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But the CHP has rejected it. 

The PKK, which has rebelled against Turkey since 1984, has announced a ceasefire. It has been designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. The four-night protests by supporters following Imamoglu's arrest were the largest in Turkey in a decade. Tear gas was fired outside the mayor's office in Istanbul on Saturday before protests began. As the evening wore on, the crowd swelled, causing breathlessness as dozens of cells fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.

People of all ages defied government bans to protest against illegal detention, chanting slogans of 'rights, law and justice'. The BBC reported that the participants of the demonstration said that they were not participating in the demonstration because of political reasons or supporters of the opposition, but to defend democracy. I came here for justice. I have come for freedom. We are free and oppressed people cannot accept this. This is against our behavior and culture," said a woman participating in the demonstration. 

Another woman said that she brought her 11-year-old son to the protest because she was worried about her son's future. It is becoming difficult to live in Turkey. "We can't control our lives, we can't choose who we want and there's no real justice here," the BBC quoted the woman as saying. But it is said in the news that the woman does not want to make her identity public. 

Many who took to the streets on Saturday night said they were fighting for a credible future and were ready to be arrested for it. According to international media, there were also widespread demonstrations in Ankara and Izmir. The police used water cannons in that demonstration. Protests have spread across the country after the government tried to suppress the protests in Istanbul by banning them for four days. There have been repeated clashes between riot police and protesters since Thursday. The Turkish authorities said that 343 people were arrested on the third day of the demonstration, i.e. Friday night.