
Turkish police arrested 10 journalists on Monday, including an Agence France-Presse photographer, the French news agency said.
The new arrests come amid a major crackdown by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's authorities, which included the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a highly popular figure in the opposition party.
According to the Media and Law Studies Association, which provides legal support to journalists in Turkey, the journalists were arrested for covering protests in Istanbul and elsewhere against İmamoğlu's imprisonment.
"At this stage, we prefer not to make any further comment," AFP told AFP.
İmamoğlu, a popular secularist, is seen as a contender to succeed the Islamist Erdogan. He has been officially nominated as the presidential candidate by the opposition Republican People's Party for the next elections, currently scheduled for 2028.
However, his university degree was revoked a week ago, which would have disqualified him as a candidate, and he was subsequently detained by authorities on Wednesday, before being formally arrested on Sunday.
İmamoğlu's arrest has sparked outrage in Turkish civil society and international partners, with France's foreign ministry denouncing it as "a serious attack on democracy".
Since his initial ban, tens of thousands of supporters have taken to the streets in more than a dozen cities, clashing with police and hundreds being arrested.
AFP is one of the world's largest news agencies. While its statutes guarantee editorial independence, the French state plays a key role in its financing, and three of its board members are appointed by the government.
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