Istanbul, May 3 (UNI) A court ordered the release of 374 people out of 418 detained participants of unauthorized rallies on May 1 in Istanbul, the city's police department said in a statement.

Roads and key highways were blocked in central Istanbul on Thursday due to unauthorized rallies, and more than 15 subway stations and other public transport were closed.

"A total of 374 out of 418 people detained in Istanbul have been released after giving testimony," the ANKA news agency quoted the department as saying.

Trade unions held government-authorized demonstrations in the Kadikoy and Kartal districts in Istanbul on May 1, but opposition minded groups tried to break through to the city center. Around 65,000 citizens took part in the rallies in the Kadikoy and Kartal districts and dispersed peacefully, while more than 52,000 police officers were responsible for ensuring security in the city, the authorities said.

Demonstrations in Taksim Square in downtown Istanbul have been banned for several years. In 2024, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said calls to hold rallies in Taksim were coming from "terrorists."

Lawyers for the suspended mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu filed an appeal against his arrest on April 7, but the court rejected it. A member of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Imamoglu headed the mayor's office since 2019; in 2024, he was re-elected to this post with a margin of almost 12% over his competitor from the ruling party. Since March 23, the arrested mayor has been in a prison in the Istanbul suburb of Silivri on charges of corruption; the prosecutor's request for his arrest as part of the investigation into a second case on terrorism was rejected.

UNI SPUTNIK GNK