Sawt Falasteen - Istanbul court jails 7 journalists as protesters fill streets

The demonstrations erupted after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, in a crackdown that has seen more than 1,400 people arrested, including 11 Turkish journalists.

Seven of them were remanded in custody by an Istanbul court on Tuesday, among them AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Paris-based news agency.

"His imprisonment is unacceptable. This is why I am asking you to intervene as quickly as possible to obtain the rapid release of our journalist," the agency's CEO and chairman Fabrice Fries said in a letter to the Turkish presidency.

The court charged Akgul, 35, and the others with "taking part in illegal rallies and marches", though Fries said Akgul was "not part of the protest" but only covering it as a journalist.

Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced the decision as "scandalous", with its Turkey representative Erol Onderoglu saying it "reflects a very serious situation in Turkey".

- 'Dark time for democracy' -

Vast crowds have defied a protest ban to hit the streets daily since the March 19 move against Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, with the unrest spreading across Turkey and prompting nightly clashes with security forces.

On Tuesday, thousands of students marched through the upmarket Nisantasi district, chanting "Government, resign!" and waving flags and banners, watched by a large deployment of riot police.

Many had their faces covered with scarves or masks, and acknowledged they feared being identified by the police.

"We can't express ourselves freely," a student who gave her name as Nisa told AFP, saying she nonetheless joined the protest "to defend democracy".

With riot police using water cannon, pepper spray and rubber bullets against protesters, the Council of Europe denounced the "disproportionate" use of force while Human Rights Watch said it was a "dark time for democracy" in Turkey.

The United Nations also voiced alarm at Turkey's use of mass detentions and its "unlawful blanket ban on protests", urging the authorities to probe any unlawful use of force.

"All those detained for the legitimate exercise of their rights must be released immediately and unconditionally," UN rights office spokeswoman Liz Throssell said.

- 'Political coup' -

Imamoglu, 53, of the opposition CHP party, is widely seen as the only politician capable of defeating Erdogan, who has ruled the NATO member for a quarter of a century.

But Imamoglu has now been stripped of his mayorship and jailed over a graft and terror probe that his supporters denounce as a "political coup".

By Tuesday, police had detained 1,418 suspects for taking part in "illegal demonstrations", Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X, warning there would be "no concessions" for those who "terrorise the streets".

Erdogan has remained defiant in the face of the protests, vowing in a message on social media late Monday that Turkey would "not fall for this dirty trick" and denouncing the protesters as "street terrorists".

- 'Deeply shocking' -

Amnesty International demanded an immediate halt to police violence, saying it had reviewed footage that was "deeply shocking".

"This is a dark time for democracy in Turkiye, with such a blatantly lawless move to weaponise the justice system to cancel the democratic process," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, using the Turkish form of the country's name.

At Monday's rally, CHP head Ozgur Ozel announced a boycott of 10 companies and organisations.

Among them were pro-government TV channels that have avoided broadcasting protest images, along with a cafe chain known for being close to the government.

On Sunday, Imamoglu was overwhelmingly chosen as the CHP's candidate for a 2028 presidential run, with observers saying it was the looming primary that triggered the move against him.

C.Hamad--SF-PST