The recent arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and main rival of President Erdoğan has sparked the largest protests in Turkey in a decade, with over 1,100 people detained in demonstrations across the country. Some experts believe the move was orchestrated by Erdoğan to sideline the opposition, silence political dissent and increase his own power. Despite the increased repression and threats to their own safety and security, the Turkish opposition does not yet seem to be backing down. İmamoğlu, who is presently jailed and is awaiting trial on corruption charges, was viewed as the most serious challenger to the decades-long rule of Erdoğan.