Istanbul Bar Association: 447 people, including 20 children, in custody; 177 arrested

The toll of the protests that began following the detention and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been revealed.

In a statement released by the Bar, it was reported that since March 21, 447 people, including 20 children, have been taken into custody, and 177 of them have been arrested.

The statement from the Istanbul Bar Association included the following remarks: 

"Since March 21, 2025, the Istanbul Bar Association has been meticulously monitoring the detentions and human rights violations occurring during social events in our city. While there are difficulties in determining exact numbers, according to the information received by our Bar, the data regarding Istanbul is as follows: A total of 447 citizens have been taken into custody, including 67 on March 21, 2025, 217 on March 22, 2025, 105 on March 23, 2025, and 58 on March 24, 2025. Of these, 20 are children.

Judicial control measures were applied to 20 people detained on March 21, arrest warrants were issued for 3 people, and 44 people were released; 174 people among those detained on March 22-23 have been arrested. The statement-taking procedures for those whose detention period is ongoing are continuing. Arrest decisions made in accordance with Article 32 of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations No. 2911 are disproportionate and constitute a violation of the right to assembly and demonstration guaranteed by the Constitution, the right to liberty and security, and, in the case of students, the right to education. We will continue to provide updates as statements are completed."

News Source: 12punto