Turkish authorities detained and deported BBC correspondent Mark Lowen​ and arrested other journalists amid the largest nationwide protests in a decade.

Dozens of demonstrators marched through central Istanbul Thursday protesting the arrest of the city’s mayor. The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Pikachu-clad demonstrator became an unexpected symbol of Turkey’s unrest as protests erupted over Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest on corruption and terrorism charges, widely seen as politically motivated.

Turkish authorities detained a lawyer for President Tayyip Erdogan's biggest political rival, jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, an MP of the main opposition party, CHP, said on Friday. Imamoglu, a CHP member who leads Erdoguan in some polls,

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,

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.

The arrest and recent imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent shockwaves through Turkey, marking a decisive shift toward full autocracy. On March 19, police officers — acting on instructions from the ruling Justice and Development Party,

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,