Turkey has arrested the lawyer for jailed political opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in what Imamoglu Thursday called a legal coup against democracy.

The arrest of Mehmet Pehlivan, who represents jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, adds to mounting concerns over Türkiye’s sweeping response to nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

Istanbul's opposition-run municipal council on Wednesday elected an interim mayor to run the city, after mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was jailed pending trial over graft charges that he and his supporters deny and call politicised.

Mark Lowen was covering the protests in Istanbul when he was arrested and later deported back to the UK, the BBC has said.

Presse journalist Yasin Akgul, detained this week while covering mass protests over the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the news agency said. The detention and subsequent arrest on Sunday over graft charges of Imamoglu,

Since the early 2000s, Turkey has relied on a foreign policy approach that emphasised cooperation instead of competition. Economic ties were a priority, which helped Turkey steadily improve its relationships with Russia,

Turkey said on Thursday it rejected "prejudiced" foreign statements over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and protests it triggered, following the detention of nearly 1,900 people since the nationwide demonstrations began eight days ago.

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.

Jailed Turkish opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of turning Turkey into a “republic of fear” by dismantling democratic institutions and suppressing critics. “For years,