Reports: Journalists, city official targeted amid Istanbul crackdown
Turkish authorities have detained at least three journalists and an Istanbul district official amid an ongoing crackdown on protests against the jailing of key opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu, media reported on Friday.
Two Turkish journalists were detained over their coverage of the protests, the daily Evrensel newspaper reported.
Press freedom groups, including Reporters Without Borders, condemned the detentions.
Swedish journalist Joakim Medin from the daily Dagens ETC newspaper was detained shortly after he landed in Istanbul on Thursday and has not been heard from since, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, authorities have expanded their crackdown on municipal officials.
Ebru Özdemir, deputy mayor of Istanbul's Şişli district, was arrested on Friday as part of an ongoing terrorism-related investigation into İmamoğlu and aides, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Also on Friday, İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was briefly detained, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said.
İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and CHP's presidential candidate, was arrested last week on corruption charges, triggering nationwide protests. The 53-year-old politician separately faces terrorism charges. He denies all the accusations against him.
Tens of thousands of people have since taken to the streets, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of using the case to eliminate a political rival.
It remains unclear if İmamoğlu can actually run in the presidential race, scheduled for 2028.
Police have cracked down on the demonstrators, with nearly 1,900 people - including journalists - temporarily detained, according to the Interior Ministry.
In a guest op-ed for The New York Times on Friday, İmamoğlu accused Erdoğan of turning Turkey into a "republic of fear" by silencing the press, sidelining elected officials and controlling the judiciary.
Student groups have called for fresh protests for later on Friday.
The CHP separately called for a major rally in Istanbul for Saturday.
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