The protests were triggered by the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, mayor of Istanbul and a potential challenger to president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next presidential elections.

The move is being seen as part of the larger political persecution unleashed by Erdoğan’s government, which is likely to face a stiff challenge in the upcoming national elections

In the latest episode, Peoples Dispatch reports on violent repression on the protesters of Swaziland and Turkey, and also a rare success of migrant workers in Qatar.

Many Kurdish lawmakers, journalists and civilian protesters suffered injuries at the hands of the riot police. Tear gas bombs, batons and high pressure water cannons were used to suppress the protests.

Ekrem İmamoğlu won the mayoral elections with a higher margin than the last election in March. The earlier round was nullified by Turkey’s electoral authority, reportedly at the instigation of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.