Nearly 300 Students Remain in Prisons After Protests

I woke to hear that new detainments had been made this early morning. Meanwhile, Mahir Polat’s ordeal continues. His health condition is a significant concern, as he has serious heart issues, including multiple stents and recent angioplasty procedures while in prison. Despite his health risks, including hypertension and potential for heart attack or stroke, his requests for release have not been granted. Recently, he was referred to the Adli Tıp Kurumu (Forensic Medicine Institute) for evaluation regarding his health status in prison.

As of the latest reports, it is difficult to provide an exact number of students still in prison due to the protests over Ekrem İmamoğlu’s arrest. However, here are some relevant figures:

• Total Detentions: Nearly 2,000 people were detained during the protests, with around 300 formally arrested[3].
• Students Detained: In Istanbul alone, at least 511 university students were detained, with 275 placed in pretrial detention[2][8].
• Charges and Pretrial Detention: Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for 139 individuals, including students, who remain in pretrial detention on charges related to violating public meeting laws[3]. Additionally, 278 of those charged are currently in pretrial detention[3].

Given these numbers, it is likely that a significant portion of the students initially detained are still in pretrial detention, but exact figures are not readily available.

Citations:

1. Student with bipolar disorder released from pretrial detention following Imamoglu protests​

2. No news: Families await word on students detained in Turkey protests​

3. Indictment seeks up to 3 years in prison for 139 arrested over protests​

4. Turkey: Student Protesters at Risk of Prosecution​Human Rights Watch

5. Hundreds of thousands protest in Turkey to defend democracy​Le Monde.fr

6. How much support is there for Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s imprisoned mayor?​

7. Turkey: 1,900 protesters detained after Imamoglu’s arrest​

8. Thousands attend CHP rally in Istanbul against mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest​

9. Prosecutors seek up to three years in prison for 139 arrested during Imamoglu protests​

10. 2025 Turkish protests​

11. Turkey’s opposition vows to sustain protests over jailing of Erdogan’s main rival​Reuters

12. Protesters take to streets of Istanbul again over arrest of Erdogan’s rival​France 24

13. Hundreds arrested in Turkey protests​

14. Police use force to break up protests at a university in Turkey’s capital​AP News

15. Thousands join march in Turkiye’s Istanbul to protest mayor’s arrest