In just a few hours, the legal timeframe available to Turkish law enforcement and judicial authorities will expire, leaving them with two options regarding the detained mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. Either charges will be formally brought against him, and he will be sent to the Prosecutor’s Office to initiate the interrogation process, or he will be released. Based on the extensive indictment that led to yesterday’s arrest warrant, the first scenario appears to be the more likely outcome.

Security forces and police authorities have set up a cordon of barricades and water cannons along the nearly six-kilometer route from Taksim Square to the city hall. Hundreds of vehicles have blocked all roads leading to the heart of the iconic square in Turkey’s most populous city, while plainclothes officers are also conducting checks. Ekrem İmamoğlu appeared again today before the cameras of media crews, who have relatively unrestricted access to city hall but are barred from the police headquarters where the mayor is being held.

Scene outside the city hall: