ISTANBUL: Turkish police detained 65 people late on Thursday over protests which first started last month at a top university, authorities said on Friday, continuing a crackdown on the protesters despite growing international criticism.
The Istanbul governor’s office said the protesters had violated a ban on public demonstrations, gatherings and marches imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by carrying out “illegal acts” in the Kadikoy district.
Some 600 people have been detained since January 4 after protests spread in Istanbul and Ankara, authorities have said. Most have been released, despite repeated statements from officials that the protesters are terrorists.
The protests were triggered by Erdogan’s appointment of a new rector at Istanbul’s Bogazici University, a process that students say was undemocratic.
The government has dismissed the criticism, saying the protests are politically driven. Officials have also deployed what the United States and United Nations…