Turkey's opposition leader visits jailed Erdogan challenger Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

ISTANBUL (AP) — The head of Turkey's main opposition party visited jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Tuesday after six nights of massive protests calling for his release.

Imamoglu, arrested on March 19 on corruption charges, is seen as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. His arrest has been widely viewed as politically motivated and sparked demonstrations, some turning violent, across the country. The government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu's Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held a two-hour meeting with Imamoglu at Silivri prison, west of Istanbul. Ozel told reporters that he was “ashamed on behalf of those who govern Turkey of the atmosphere I am in and the situation that Turkey is being put through.”

He described Imamoglu and two jailed CHP district mayors he also met as “three lions inside, standing tall, with their heads held high … proud of themselves, their families, their colleagues, not afraid.”

Ozel later spoke at what he said would be the last rally in front of Istanbul's City Hall, saying the party would appoint an acting mayor in Imamoglu's place in hopes of staving off a state-appointed replacement.

Ozel announced plans for a demonstration on Saturday at another location in Istanbul and warned the governor, a government appointee in charge of police, not to allow any violence at the final City Hall gathering.

“If you provoke this square tonight, if you use tear gas or attack, I will change our plan for the coming days. I will make a call for 500,000 people to (come to) the place that will disturb you the most,” he said.

Students across Turkey protested and occupied campuses on Tuesday after declaring a boycott of classes. In Istanbul, thousands gathered in a park before marching to Sisli district, where the elected mayor has been jailed and replaced with a government appointee.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have been cracking down on journalists as protests have grown.

The Media and Law Studies Association, a civil society group, said 11 journalists who were detained for covering banned protests in Istanbul were brought to the city’s Caglayan Courthouse to answer charges of violating the law on meetings and demonstrations.

The journalists were among more than 200 people prosecutors have recommended for imprisonment pending trial, including left-wing activists rounded up at their homes in raids early Monday. By late Tuesday, 172 people, including seven journalists, had been jailed ahead of trial.

Among those sent to pretrial detention was 22-year-old student Berkay Gezgin, who as a boy coined the phrase “Everything will be great” when he met Imamoglu on the campaign trail in 2019. The slogan has endured as a central part of the mayor’s political identity since.

Turkish media reported that U.S. citizen Michael Anthony Ganoe was deported for “inciting the public to hatred” during the protests.

The head of the CHP's Istanbul branch, Ozgur Celik, shared a letter he received from the prosecutor’s office ordering the removal of Imamoglu's posters. He said he would not comply.

“You will see more of Mayor Ekrem on the balconies of houses, in squares, on the streets and on the walls,” Celik posted on X.

Demonstrations in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as smaller cities and towns across Turkey, have been largely peaceful with protesters demanding Imamoglu’s release and an end to democratic backsliding. Some turned violent, with officers deploying water cannons, tear gas and pepper spray and firing plastic pellets at protesters, some of whom have hurled stones, fireworks and other objects at riot police.

The governors of Ankara and Izmir on Tuesday extended bans on demonstrations to April 1 and March 29, respectively. The ban in Istanbul currently ends on Thursday.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Tuesday that police had detained 43 “provocateurs” over what he said were “vile insults” hurled at Erdogan and his family at protests. Later he posted that 1,418 people had been detained since Wednesday last week, and 979 suspects were currently in custody. “No concessions will be made to those who attempt to terrorize the streets,” he wrote on X.

Ozel and Imamoglu's social media accounts posted condemnations of insults hurled at Erdogan's mother.

Addressing a Ramadan fast-breaking meal in Ankara, Erdogan called on people to “know their limits, maintain moderation and not to cross the line between seeking rights and insult and vandalism.”

He added: “Those who spread terror in the streets and want to turn this country into a fire have no destination. The path they take is a dead end.”

Imamoglu has been jailed on suspicion of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and bid-rigging — accusations he has denied. He also faces prosecution on terror-related charges and has been suspended from duty as a “temporary measure.”

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people have been jailed pending trial, including a key aide and two district mayors from Istanbul. A further 44 suspects in the case alleging widespread graft at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released under judicial control.

The U.N. Human Rights Office condemned “widespread detentions” in Turkey. “All those detained for the legitimate exercise of their rights must be released immediately and unconditionally,” spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement.

Although Turkey is not due for another election until 2028, there is a reasonable possibility that Erdogan will call for an early vote in order to run for another term.

Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul alongside its predecessors for a quarter-century.

Security forces used a more subdued approach Tuesday to disperse anti-government protesters compared to earlier days.

Ozel, the leader of CHP, spoke at length near the Istanbul City Hall after threatening a larger demonstration if authorities used excessive force again.

Following his speech, officers said the road under the historic aqueduct where police and protesters held a standoff since the second day of the protests would reopen. Officers repeatedly asked protesters to leave.

Police advanced slowly on the group until it dispersed, with some physical altercations. A small crowd briefly sought refuge outside the City Hall.

Protesters chanted anti-government slogans, demanded Erdogan’s resignation and staged a sit-in near the historic aqueduct.

One demonstrator, who declined to give his name due to fear of reprisals and detention by security forces, said protesters who threw stones at police did not belong there. He also called on Erdogan to resign.

Another protester, an 18-year-old who also withheld his name, said he was detained and then released after the Monday protests, “Even though we did not scuffle with the police, they came and sprayed us with pepper gas," he said.

Footage of clashes on Monday circulated widely on social media, including of an officer spraying and yelling at fleeing demonstrators.

Protesters on Tuesday sought to remain peaceful, singling out and removing those who threw objects or shouted insults.

Small fights between protesters broke out after groups accused each other of needlessly provoking the police. One man was struck in the head by a group of protesters after being accused of throwing objects at police.

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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Protesters shout slogans during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Protesters gather during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A riot police officer tries to calm down protesters during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester offers flowers to riot police during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters shout slogans during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Protester shout slogans during a gathering after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Protester shout slogans during a gathering after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Protester shout slogans during a gathering after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Protesters shout slogans as holds a picture of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu during a protest after he was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Protesters shout slogans during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Protesters shout slogans during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

University students sit next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Huseyin Aldemir)

Riot police fire tear gas pellets to disperse protesters in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025, during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

People shout slogans next to anti riot police officers during a protest after Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and sent to prison, in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — On his trip this week to the Middle East, U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, though his most pressing regional challenges concern two other countries: Israel and Iran.

After ending a ceasefire two months ago, Israel is intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip, where a blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is worsening a humanitarian crisis. And Iran, an enemy of Israel and a rival of Saudi Arabia, stands on the cusp of being able to develop nuclear weapons.

Yet Trump will focus his attention on three energy-rich nations home to existing or planned Trump-branded real estate projects — places where he aims to leverage American economic interests to do what he personally revels in: making business deals.

“This is his happy place,” said Jon B. Alterman, a senior vice president at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “His hosts will be generous and hospitable. They’ll be keen to make deals. They’ll flatter him and not criticize him. And they’ll treat his family members as past and future business partners.”

Trump said Sunday he was ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar, prompting criticism from some Democrats and allies of the president.

Trump won’t be able to avoid diplomacy on Gaza or Iran: The Gulf countries hosting him are also interested in easing the regional tensions that emanate from these two places.

“Trump can easily score a win by reassuring them of America’s strategic commitment to the region, demonstrating consistent messaging and generally rising above the fray,” analysts Elizabeth Dent and Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy wrote Friday.

By not scheduling a trip to Israel during his first trip to the region during his second term as president, Trump is reinforcing a feeling in Israel that its interests may not be top of mind for him.

That sense intensified last week, when Trump announced that the U.S. would halt its strikes on the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen that agreed to stop its attacks on American vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis' attacks on Israel did not appear to be covered by that deal, which came as a surprise to Israel, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic issue. Days after the deal between the U.S. and the Houthis — and despite a two-day Israeli assault on Houthi targets — a missile from Yemen again set off air raid sirens in Israel. Then Israel's military warned Sunday that Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen could be targeted again.

Trump's move to launch negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program also jarred Israel, which fears a deal that would not be strict enough to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or rein in its support for regional militant groups.

Israel had hoped that Trump might provide military assistance in any strike it carried out on the country's nuclear facilities — an action that is unrealistic so long as there are negotiations, or if they reach a deal.

That has raised questions in Israel over Trump's reliability on other major issues, like a long-sought normalization deal with Saudi Arabia as part of any defense pact the administration may reach with the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has said it would only normalize ties with Israel in exchange for significant concessions for the Palestinians toward statehood, something the current Israeli government is unlikely to agree to.

Israel has said it will hold off on expanding the war in Gaza until after Trump's visit, leaving the window open for a new ceasefire deal to materialize. Hamas and Trump announced that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be freed as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, though it is not clear what involvement Israel had in that deal.

Still, Trump has given Israel free rein in Gaza and, like Israel, blames Hamas for any civilian casualties.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee played down any significance to Trump's decision not to visit the country, saying in interviews with Israeli media that his visit to the region was focused on economic issues.

For Iran, much depends on the talks it is having with the U.S. over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. A reported two-month deadline to reach a deal likely has passed as U.S. officials signal America may push for Iran to give up enrichment entirely — something Tehran has insisted is a red line.

Although four rounds of talks mediated by Oman have not led to a major breakthrough, they have gone into the so-called “expert level” — meaning specifics about any possible accord likely have been discussed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled over the weekend to both Saudi Arabia and Qatar ahead of Trump’s trip. Iran likely is trying to pass messages to the U.S. while signaling its interest in continuing the talks. Iranian officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon, while Trump and Israel have both threatened to strike Iranian nuclear sites if a deal isn't reached.

The Islamic Republic is running out of options. Its economy has cratered since Trump in 2018 unilaterally pulled America out of their initial nuclear deal with world powers. And Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance” — a group of aligned nations and militant groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon — has been mauled since the Israel-Hamas war began.

Iran also faces internal political pressure, including from women increasingly refusing to wear the state-mandated headscarf, or hijab.

There is one thing that unites most Iranians, however — pride over the Persian Gulf. Trump’s consideration of having America uniformly call the body of water the “Arabian Gulf” instead drew fierce criticism from across the country.

“This gulf has always been the Persian Gulf — and it will forever remain the Persian Gulf,” Tehran’s Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said.

After starting his trip in Saudi Arabia, Trump will then go to Qatar, which recently announced plans for a Trump-branded development there.

This tight embrace of the president comes after his first trip to the Middle East — in 2017 — apparently sparked what became known as the Qatar crisis. That is when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE boycotted Qatar over its support of Islamists in the region and its ties to Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field.

The dispute grew so serious that Kuwait’s ruling emir at the time, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, suggested on a visit to the White House there could have been “military action.”

Trump initially criticized Qatar as having “historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level” at the start of the boycott. Less than a year later, he praised Qatar and rolled that back. The four nations ended their boycott just before Biden took office.

Any plane gifted to the U.S. by Qatar could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft, U.S. officials said — which would amount to the president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government. “This was just a gesture of good faith” from Qatar, which knew that Boing had encountered delays building the next generation of the Air Force One aircraft, Trump said Monday at the White House.

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. AP reporter Darlene Superville in Washington contributed.

FILE - This combo of pictures show President Donald Trump, left, addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025, and a handout of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attending a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis - Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, April 7, 2025. (Pool via AP, file)

FILE - Journalists chat as video of a plane is shown on a screen while landing at at Al Ula airport in Saudi Arabia, Jan. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, file)

FILE- President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting, in Riyadh, May 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)