The jailing of Istanbul’s mayor pending his trial on corruption charges has stoked worries that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is becoming more authoritarian in seeking to sideline a top rival.

Turkish authorities released a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, after detaining him overnight, an attorney for the lawyer said on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters again congregated in Istanbul Saturday to how their support for the city’s imprisoned mayor and demand his release

The arrest and recent imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sent shockwaves through Turkey, marking a decisive shift toward full autocracy. On March 19, police officers — acting on instructions from the ruling Justice and Development Party,

İmamoğlu was arrested last week on corruption charges and booted out of his office as Istanbul mayor. Widely viewed as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, İmamoğlu was on Monday officially nominated as a presidential candidate.

The UN voiced alarm on Tuesday at Turkey's use of mass detentions amid country-wide demonstrations over the arrest of Istanbul's popular opposition mayor, urging authorities to probe alleged unlawful use of force against protestors.

Turkey is having its largest protests in more than a decade after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and jailed.