Dar es Salaam, March 20 -- ISTANBUL: Thousands took to the streets of Istanbul on Wednesday to decry the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Türkiyes largest city, who is viewed as the main political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the key figures in the opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), was among a hundred people detained earlier in the day on charges of corruption and alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara. The mayor was taken into custody just days before his official nomination as CHPs presidential candidate in the 2028 election.

Following Imamoglus arrest, the Turkish authorities imposed a four-day ban on dem...