Leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party Ozgur Ozel has called on fellow citizens to take to the streets to support detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
"I call on millions of citizens across Turkey to take to the streets, where we will hold large rallies after iftar (revelry in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan)," Ozel said.
At the same time, he urged his supporters not to provoke law enforcement officers.
Authorities in Ankara and Izmir earlier on Friday announced a five-day ban on mass rallies. Demonstrations are prohibited in Istanbul until March 23. This decision was taken to prevent riots in connection with the detention of the opposition mayor of the metropolis Ekrem Imamoglu.
