Pictured: Michael O'Flaherty

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests following the arrest and detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and the leading opposition candidate in the next Turkish presidential election.

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, among other cities, have been dispelled by riot police using pepper spray, percussion grenades and water cannons, and over 1,100 protesters have been arrested so far.

Michael O’Flaherty said he was concerned by “reports about disproportionate use of force by the police and widespread restrictions of the right to receive and impart information in Türkiye in the context of the protests of the last days”.

“I ask the Turkish authorities to uphold their human rights obligations with regard to respect for freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and media freedom,” he said.

Mr O’Flaherty added: “I note with concern reports about attacks against journalists and media workers while they were engaged in their journalistic duties and the arrests of journalists carried out today in raids across a number of cities in connection with their reporting about the protests.

“Journalists and media workers must not be obstructed while carrying out their professional duties.”

“I am also concerned that access to information online has been severely restricted with reported bandwidth restrictions on all main social media platforms, including numerous accounts having been blocked and/or made invisible in Türkiye due to the orders issued by the regulatory body.

“Moreover, several people were detained, put into house arrest, or subjected to judicial control measures in relation to their social media posts.

“I call on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all those individuals who are detained for the legitimate exercise of their human rights. I also call on the authorities to fulfil their obligation to ensure that journalists can report on public assemblies freely and safely.

“I will continue to observe the situation closely and to raise these issues with the Turkish authorities.”