A Turkish court on Sunday jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, pending trial on corruption charges, in a move likely to inflame the country’s biggest protests in more than a decade.

The decision to send Imamoglu to jail comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticized the actions against him as politicized and undemocratic.

As the courtroom developments unfolded, there were signs that the mayor’s troubles were galvanizing opposition against Erdogan’s government, which has run Turkey for 22 years.

Thousands of Republican People’s Party (CHP) members and non-members streamed into polling stations nationwide to elect Imamoglu its candidate in a future presidential vote.

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The non-member vote will be closely watched as an indicator of how much support the widely popular Imamoglu enjoys beyond the party faithful.

Imamoglu has denied the charges he faces as «unimaginable accusations and slanders» and called for nationwide protests on Sunday. «We will rip away this coup, this dark stain on our democracy, all together,» he said.

Footage showed what broadcasters said was him being taken to Silivri prison in a police convoy.

Imamoglu was removed from duty, along with two other district mayors, an interior ministry statement said.

The government denies that investigations are politically motivated and says courts are independent.

A nationwide ban on street gatherings was extended on Saturday for four more days but protests and skirmishes with police continued through the night in major cities.

Thousands crowded outside the courthouse overnight and early on Sunday awaiting the rulings on Imamoglu.

The court said Imamoglu, 54, and at least 20 others were jailed as part of a corruption investigation, one of two opened against him last week.

It said he was arrested for «establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, embezzlement, unlawfully recording personal data, and rigging public tenders in connection with a financial investigation».

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The jailing caps a months-long legal crackdown on opposition figures and the removal of other elected officials from office, in what critics called a government attempt to hurt their election prospects.

Six of the CHP’s 27 municipal mayors are now under arrest – a year after opposition parties handed Erdogan’s AK Party its worst ever electoral defeat in municipal elections.

The CHP opened party polling stations Sunday to non-members to cast «solidarity votes» for Imamoglu, who was the only name on the ballot for presidential candidate.

A demonstrator wearing dervish clothes, lies on the ground, during a protest on the day Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis)

CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel predicted millions of votes from non-members, saying Imamoglu is «on the road to prison but also to the presidency».

No general election is scheduled until 2028.

But if Erdogan, 71, who has led Turkey for 22 years, is to run again, parliament would need to back an earlier election since the president will have reached his limit by that date. Imamoglu is leading Erdogan in some opinion polls.

Imamoglu is also facing terrorism charges, but the court did not formally arrest him on those at the same time.

A future ruling to jail him pending trial on terrorism-related charges could allow the government to appoint a trustee to run Istanbul. A conviction could prevent him running for president.

The CHP said it would appeal against the ruling and elect someone to work as acting mayor.

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Shortly after the court ruling, the mayor vowed to ultimately defeat Erdogan, and said those who ran the investigation would be held accountable.

«Imamoglu has become Erdogan’s … nightmare,» Mehmet Karatas, an opposition supporter, said outside the courthouse. «We will make Ekrem Imamoglu president.»

Imamoglu’s detention has roiled markets, with the Turkish lira, stocks and bonds suffering heavy declines since Wednesday. Analysts expect more selling pressure after the jailing.

Turkish central bank governor Fatih Karahan met board members of Turkey’s Banks Association (TBB) on Sunday.

Police officers use pepper spray on demonstrators during a protest on the day Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 23, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis)

The central bank will use all instruments within market rules effectively and decisively to maintain stability, Karahan told bankers, the TBB said.

Civil disobedience has been dramatically curbed in Turkey since nationwide Gezi Park protests against Erdogan’s government in 2013, which prompted a violent state crackdown.

Yet thousands gathered again Saturday night outside the Istanbul municipality building and the main courthouse. Hundreds of police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters, as the crowd hurled firecrackers and other objects.

Though most demonstrations have been peaceful, protesters also clashed with police in the western coastal province of Izmir and the capital Ankara for a third night in a row, with police firing water cannon.

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Authorities have detained more than 300 people during protests.

Additional reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever, Mert Ozkan and Mehmet Emin Caliskan; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Daniel Wallis, William Mallard, David Goodman, Alison Williams and Giles Elgood

Russia launched a massive drone attack targeting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, killing at least seven people.

The attack comes just days before Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to meet for indirect peace talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. will mediate the talks and meet with representatives separately.

Ukraine’s air force says Sunday’s attack from Russia involved 147 drones, 97 of which were shot down and another 25 failed to reach their targets.

The attack killed three people in the nation’s capital of Kyiv, including a 5-year-old child. At least 10 others were wounded.

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Ukrainians at the scene of the attacks in Kyiv surveyed the damage done to their homes and neighborhoods on Sunday morning. Many were disparaging of the upcoming ceasefire talks, pointing to the burned out homes destroyed in the drone attack, saying these were more indicative of Russia’s true intentions.

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In an old multistory building on Kyiv’s left bank that was damaged in the overnight attack, Dmytro Zapadnya, 37, said he had no faith in Russia upholding any ceasefire agreement.

«There is no point in signing anything (with Russians), because it will not be worth the cost of paper where you put this signature. Well, the only thing that is not very pleasant is that now the United States seems to have little understanding of our situation,» he said.

President Donald Trump’s administration will mediate indirect peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Saudi Arabia this week.  (Fox News / Special Report)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement that attacks such as the one in Kyiv were a daily occurrence for Ukraine.

«This week alone, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people,» he said. «New solutions are needed, with new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war.»

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine says there needs to be «new pressure on Moscow» to end the war. (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

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Ukrainian officials are set to meet with the U.S. a day ahead of the negotiations in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

La exfiscal para el Distrito Este de Virginia, en los Estados Unidos, Jessica D. Aber, quien renunció al cargo en enero pasado tras la llegada de Donald Trump a la Presidencia, fue hallada muerta en su casa, en la ciudad de Alexandria, pero se desconoce la causa.

De acuerdo con los medios locales, tras recibir una llamada, la Policía de Alexandria llegó hasta la residencia de la mujer, de 43 años, poco después de las 9 de la mañana del sábado hora local (14:00 GMT) y la encontraron muerta.

Se espera por el resultado de la autopsia para determinar la causa de su muerte.

Al momento de renunciar, Aber, nombrada al cargo por el presidente Joe Biden en 2021, dijo que trabaja para restaurar la confianza en la aplicación de la ley. Su trabajo se centró en casos de terrorismo, crímenes violentos de pandillas y filtraciones de documentos clasificados.

La fiscal general de EE.UU., Pam Bondi, indicó en un comunicado que la muerte de Aber «es profundamente trágica».

«Acompañamos con nuestro apoyo y oraciones a su familia y amigos en estos momentos tan difíciles», señaló.

El ahora fiscal para el Distrito Este de Virginia, Erik S. Siebert, destacó que Aber era «inigualable como líder, mentora y fiscal, y es simplemente irremplazable como ser humano».