TURKISH authorities arrested several journalists at their homes, a media workers’ union said today.

This comes amid a growing crackdown on mounting protests triggered by the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor.

A court on Sunday formally arrested Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and ordered him jailed pending a trial on corruption charges. His detention on Wednesday sparked the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade.

The Disk-Basin-Is union said that at least eight reporters and photo journalists were detained in what it called an “attack on press freedoms and the people’s right to learn the truth.” It called for their immediate release.

The social media platform X said that it was objecting to multiple court orders from Turkish authorities to block more than 700 accounts, including of news organisations, journalists and political figures in Turkey.

A total of 1,133 people have been detained since the mayor was arrested at his home, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said: “Some circles have been exploiting the right to assemble and demonstrate, attempting to disrupt public order, incite street unrest and attack our police.”

The minister claimed that some of the detained were identified as having ties to groups listed as terrorist organisations and others had criminal records.

Hundreds of thousands of people have come out for the largely peaceful protests in support of the mayor in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. 

In a message on social media, Mayor Imamoglu urged people to rally outside city hall and other locations for a sixth night today. He also called on youths to avoid clashes and asked police to treat demonstrators with kindness.

“I’m working hard, I will work even harder. Where I am does not matter,” he said.

The mayor’s imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major challenger to President Erdogan from the next presidential race, scheduled for 2028. 

Government officials reject the accusations and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.