ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish riot police blasted opposition protesters with water cannons, tear gas and plastic bullets in Istanbul on Friday in scenes reminiscent of the summer’s mass anti-government demonstrations.
Some of the protesters threw rocks and firecrackers at police, shouting, “Catch the thief,” in reference to a widening corruption scandal gripping Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
Similar protests were held in Izmir and in Ankara, where police also fired water cannons to disperse the crowds.
At least 31 people, including three lawyers, were detained in Istanbul, according to the Istanbul Bar Association.
Thousands, meanwhile, gathered at other spots to show their support for the embattled Erdogan.
A Turkish high court Friday blocked the government from changing the rules on how corruption investigations are initiated, dealing another blow to Erdogan’s government.
Twenty-four people, including the sons of two former government ministers and the former head of the state-owned financial institution, Halkbank, also of ministerial rank, have been arrested on bribery charges.
Media reports say the probe is over purported illicit money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.
Erdogan was forced to reshuffle his government this week after the three ministers, whose sons were detained at the time for questioning as part of the corruption and bribery probe, resigned. Erdogan said the probe is part of a wider conspiracy intended to take his government down.
But his government also has removed police officers from posts and changed regulations to ensure that corruption investigations are initiated by top police and judicial officials - some of whom are believed to be close to Erdogan.
The High Administrative Court ruled Friday that the government must revert to previous protocols on investigations pending further deliberations on the issue.
Before Erdogan’s government changed the regulations, prosecutors could launch investigations and order police to carry out detentions without seeking approval from superiors.
Asked to comment on the court’s move, Erdogan said the government would do “whatever is necessary,” but did not elaborate.
Earlier, he verbally attacked a prosecutor involved in the investigation, calling him a “disgrace” and accusing him of smearing innocent people. Some Turkish media reported that the prosecutor, who has said he was being prevented from expanding the corruption probe, wanted to summon Erdogan’s son for questioning.
The prosecutor, Muammer Akkas, complained that police officers had not carried out orders for another wave of arrests.
In a written statement he distributed to reporters outside the courthouse late Thursday, he said that the chief prosecutor and police were hampering his probe.
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Turan Colakkadi, later removed Akkas from the case for leaking information to the media, and said Akkas was carrying out “random investigations.”
Aydinlik newspaper and its sister television station both published on their websites what they said was a copy of the prosecutor’s summons for Erdogan’s son, Bilal, to testify as a “suspect” in the investigation.According to the document, the prosecutor would have questioned him next Thursday on suspicion of “forming a criminal gang.”
There was no immediate government statement disputing the authenticity of the document, which also was printed in Cumhuriyet newspaper.
Erdogan said earlier this week that he believed he was the target of the corruption probe, maintaining that there were efforts to get to him through his son and through an educational foundation, of which Bilal is a board member.
Erdogan in four speeches Friday repeated claims of a foreign conspiracy to destabilize Turkey and its economy and slammed the prosecutor.
“A prosecutor who distributes press releases to journalists outside a courthouse is a disgrace to the judiciary,” Erdogan said.
Earlier, three legislators from Erdogan’s party, who have been critical of the government’s handling of the scandal, resigned over what they said was the government’s pressure on the judiciary.
The leader of the opposition also accused the government of protecting “thieves.”
“We have entered an era where the thieves are being protected, and prosecutors who are going after the thieves are rendered ineffective,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party.
Erdogan vowed to fight the graft allegations.
“We will go if the people tell us to go, but we will ignore those who tell us to go while the people tell us to stay,” Erdogan said.
The military meanwhile, said in a statement that it would not be dragged into politics amid the scandal.
Front Section, Pages 7 on 12/28/2013