Protests continue for a fifth night after court orders Imamoglu jailed

Early on Sunday, a court formally arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.

The prosecutor’s office said the court decided to jail Imamoglu on suspicion of running a criminal organisation, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging.

The court rejected a request to imprison the Istanbul mayor on terror-related charges, although he still faces prosecution. Prosecutors accuse Imamoglu of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

The court argued that “although there is strong suspicion of (Imamoglu) aiding an armed terrorist organisation, since it has already been decided that he will be arrested for financial crimes, (his arrest) is not deemed necessary at this stage.”

The Istanbul mayor was transferred to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, after the court’s ruling. 47 other people were also jailed pending trial alongside Imamoglu, including a key aide and two district mayors – Murat Calik and Resul Emrah Sahan – representing Istanbul’s Beylikduzu and Sisli provinces.

The Interior Ministry later announced that Imamoglu had been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure”. His replacement in the meantime will be decided via internal elections within municipal councils, where Imamoglu’s Republican People’s Party, or CHP, holds a majority.

Crowds gathered outside Istanbul city hall for a fifth consecutive night of protests since Imamoglu’s Wednesday arrest.

Thousands have turned out daily to participate in the demonstrations calling for the immediate release of the mayor, and accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of deliberately targeting Imamoglu for political reasons.

Imamoglu – seen as a key political rival