Turkey arrests dozens over protests

ISTANBUL — Dozens of members of Turkey’s political opposition were arrested in dawn raids on Wednesday, as a crackdown began on those questioning the legitimacy of a referendum on Sunday to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has claimed a narrow 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent victory in the vote, but protesters in pockets of the country have marched in the streets every night since then to demonstrate against what they assert was a rigged election.

After warnings from Erdogan, at least 38 people accused of participating in the protests were rounded up Wednesday morning or issued arrest warrants, according to lawyers and relatives of the detained.

Despite the arrests, hundreds of people gathered in several cities across Turkey on Wednesday evening in a show of defiance.

“These people are mainly those who attended the protests after the referendum and raised their voice against the referendum result on social media,” said Deniz Demirdogen, a lawyer for one of the detainees, Mesut Gecgel.

“The police told the detainees that they were accused of trying to agitate people against the ‘yes’ vote,” Demirdogen said.

The arrests will add to fears that Sunday’s referendum has accelerated Turkey’s descent toward authoritarianism. Erdogan and his allies say their victory will help bring stability and prosperity to the country.

Since the failed coup in July against Erdogan, roughly 45,000 people suspected of being dissidents and of plotting the coup have been arrested, more than 150 media groups and 1,500 civil society organizations have been closed and about 130,000 people have been purged from their jobs. Anti-Erdogan campaigners faced physical intimidation and restrictions on their ability to hold rallies and to appear in the news media.