Nearly 350 people were detained in Turkey in connection with the protests.

Almost 350 people were detained in Turkey in connection with the protests that took place on Friday. This was announced on March 22 by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

"During the investigation of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality <...> 343 suspects were detained for the actions that took place last night," he wrote on his page on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

The Interior Minister stressed the inadmissibility of violating public order and provocations.

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The day before, it was reported that police in Istanbul used tear gas against protesters. On March 20, the Turkish Interior Minister announced that six policemen had been injured during a protest in Istanbul. Rallies on this day were also held in Ankara.

Law enforcement agencies issued a warrant for the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19. According to media reports, an anti-corruption operation has been launched against the Istanbul administration. It concerns the holding of city tenders, as well as clarifying the details of the interaction of opposition officials with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.

At the same time, the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, called on Turkish citizens to protest in support of the mayor of Istanbul. Due to the situation in the country, the authorities have banned mass political actions in the city.