Istanbul: Turkiye said on Thursday it rejected “biased” international statements of arrest by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, while national protests in the country have sparked nationwide protests as authorities detained nearly 1,900 people involved in the demonstrations.

President Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest political rival, Imamoglu, led him to prison in some polls and stayed on Sunday to trial on Graft. His arrest prompted the largest anti-government protests in a decade, leading to mass arrests nationwide.

Imamugru’s main opposition Republican Party (CHP), other opposition parties, rights groups and Western powers have all said the case against the mayor – dismissed due to the case – was a political effort to eliminate potential election threats to Erdogan.

The government denied any impact on the judiciary and said the court was independent.

Speaking in an international media representative in Istanbul, Attorney General Yilmaz Tunc said Ankara asked its European partners to take “common sense” action and added the seriousness of the allegations against Imamoglu.

“We don’t want to arrest any politicians, but if there is evidence of a violation, it can happen.”

He added: “If we look at the severity of the allegations and can hide the risk of evidence, then the judiciary makes a reasonable decision.”

The Centre for Health Protection called on Turks to continue protesting, saying rallies and gatherings will be organized in different locations in Istanbul and elsewhere. Erdogan saw the protests as a “performance” and warned protesters of legal consequences.

Home Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,879 people have been detained since the protests broke out last Wednesday, adding that the court was sentenced to 260 people jailed, pending trial.

He added that 489 people were released, 662 others were still being processed, while 150 police officers were injured.

Rights groups called on Turkiye to investigate their alleged excessive use of force by police while dispersing people and urged the government to allow demonstrations that were largely peaceful. Western leaders say the case marks a path to democracy.

Asked about the timing of Imamogru’s arrest, a few days before he declared himself presidential candidate for the Health Conference in the next election (scheduled in 2028) and after a month of legal crackdown on the opposition, the judiciary said the judiciary only looked at the crime reports.

The minister added that being elected does not mean impunity.

He also said that due to the confidentiality of the case, Erdogan was not informed of the case against Imamogru, although the president has made several comments accusing the Centre for Health Protection and its municipality of corruption.

The day before Imamoglu was detained last week, a university abolished his diploma, a requirement for the eligibility of candidates in the presidential election.

Asked about the arrest and subsequent release of seven local journalists covering demonstrations in Istanbul, including from French news agency (AFP)Tunc said Tunc had misunderstandings about Turkiye’s treatment of journalists and did not imprison journalists.

Free speech advocate journalists have no boundaries and ranks 158 out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index.

It said about 90% of the media were affected by the government, prompting Turks to turn more to opposition or independent news media. Tunc said the index did not reflect the truth.