Istanbul (Turkey), 3 Apr. (LaPresse/AP) – Turkish police today arrested 11 people for supporting a boycott of one-day shopping announced yesterday as part of the protests against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for 16 suspects as part of an investigation into ‘hatred and discrimination’ and ‘incitement to hatred and hostility’ among the population. The suspects were detained for posting on social media that people should not spend money and that businesses should close in solidarity with Imamoglu. Among those detained is actor Cem Yigit Uzumoglu, who played Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in the Netflix docuseries ‘Rise of Empires: Ottoman’. This was announced by the Union of Actors. According to the independent news agency Anka, around 2,000 people have been arrested since Imamoglu was detained on 19 March, with 316 detainees awaiting trial. Most of them are accused of participating in the protests that have broken out across the country.
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