A court in Turkey has confirmed the prison sentence for the mayor of Istanbul, who has been charged with corruption and terrorism.
Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday, days before he was to be chosen as the presidential candidate. The opposition leader denies the charges, while supporters have staged some of the largest protests the country has seen in more than a decade.
The demonstrations have continued for four nights, with supporters gathering outside the courthouse where the ruling was made. Erdogan has condemned the unrest and accused Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party of trying to "destroy the peace and polarize the people." Police fired tear gas outside the mayor's office in Istanbul before the protests began.
As the crowds swelled throughout the evening, it became difficult to breathe as tear gas was fired en masse to disperse the demonstrators. Chanting “rights, law, justice,” people of all ages defied a government ban on gatherings to protest what they see as an illegal ban.
Turkish authorities said 343 people were arrested on Friday night, the third day of protests across the country. There were also arrests on Saturday, but an exact number is not known. Imamoglu is seen as one of Erdogan's most powerful political rivals. The president has denied opposition accusations that this is a political move, while stressing that the judiciary is independent. (A2 Televizion)
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