Withholding social media in Türkiye and Prohibition of demonstrations after the arrest of Imamoglu

On Wednesday, the Turkish authorities arrested "Akram Imamoglu", the opposition mayor of Istanbul, on charges related to corruption and support for terrorist organizations.

The arrests also included a large number of Istanbul municipal officials and the municipalities of its areas, all of whom are counted on the Turkish opposition.

For his part, the Republican People's Party, to which Imamoglu belongs, condemned the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Akram Imamoglu, and more than 100 other people, describing the arrests as "political and representing a coup against democracy."

At the same time, the Turkish authorities have imposed large -scale social media restrictions, including "Instagram - Facebook - Twitter", and some correspondence platforms.

The governor of Istanbul also issued an official decision to prevent any gatherings or demonstrations throughout the state, from today until March 23.

A statement issued by Istanbul state stated that this decision aims to maintain public security and prevent any events that may affect stability in the city, noting that the security forces will take the necessary measures to ensure the implementation of the decision.

It is noteworthy that the Imamoglu, who is one of the most prominent faces of the Turkish opposition and a possible competitor to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had sparked widespread controversy in recent years because of his electoral successes and stances against government policies.

Earlier, Istanbul University announced the cancellation of Akram Imamoglu's degree due to violations, in a blow to the opposition days before it made a decision to choose it as a candidate for the presidency.

It is reported that without a university degree, Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party, cannot run for the presidency.