The Turkish prosecutor's office has requested that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu remain in custody tonight, awaiting his trial on terrorism and corruption charges, Reuters reported, citing his office.
The chairman of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Özgür Özel and Dilek Imamoglu, the wife of the arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, arrived tonight at the courthouse in the Çağlayan district of Istanbul, where Imamoglu himself is giving testimony, opposition television Halk TV reported.
The leader of the opposition Good Party Musavat Dervisoğlu also arrived with them.
They, along with others politicians and officials of the Istanbul mayor's office await the court's decision on the detention order for Imamoglu and nearly 100 other detainees.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and a number of other high-ranking representatives of the HDP - the main opposition force in Turkey, were detained on March 19 on charges of corruption and ties to a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the metropolis rejected the charges against him last night.
The opposition newspaper “Cumhuriyet“ reported that the Supreme Council of Radio and Television of Turkey is issuing warnings to opposition television stations to stop their live broadcasts, otherwise their licenses may be revoked.
Meanwhile, tensions are also rising in the capital Ankara, where a protest is taking place in the central Kizilay Square. A number of arrests have been reported. The security forces used water cannons against protesters who behaved provocatively.
The court is expected to rule on the matter early this morning.
Thousands of people have been protesting in many places in Turkey, including in front of the Istanbul courthouse, where the prosecutor's request is being heard, Reuters notes.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced tonight that a total of 323 people had been detained during the protests. "Attempts to disrupt public order will not be tolerated," he warned in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized the protests in the country, the BBC reported.
In a speech that Erdogan gave at an iftar (traditional dinner during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan) in Istanbul. The president accused the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), of trying to "disturb the peace and polarize our people".
"The period of going out on the streets and pointing fingers... is over", the Turkish president stressed. Erdogan noted that Turkey is a country where the rule of law is a fact, and urged: "If you have the courage, let the law work."
The CHP "cannot answer the accusations of theft of hundreds of billions of (Turkish) liras", he said.
Imamoglu is a leading political opponent of Erdogan, Reuters notes. The HDP won local elections in March last year, handing the president's ruling Justice and Development Party its first national electoral defeat since it came to power in 2002.
Turkey's next presidential election is due in 2028, and Erdogan has reached his two-term limit. If he wants to run again, he must call early elections or change the constitution, Reuters notes.