Turkey said on Thursday it rejected "prejudiced" international statements over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and protests it triggered, following the detention of nearly 1,900 people since the nationwide demonstrations began eight days ago.

Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's biggest political rival who leads him in some polls, was jailed pending trial for graft on Sunday. 

His arrest prompted the largest anti-government protests in a decade and led to mass arrests across the country.

Imamoglu's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), other opposition parties, rights groups and Western powers have all said the case against the mayor - dismissed from his job due to the case - was a politicised effort to eliminate a potential electoral threat to Erdogan.

The government denies any influence over the judiciary and says the courts are independent.

Speaking to international media representatives in Istanbul, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said Ankara had asked its European partners to act with "common sense", adding the gravity of the allegations against Imamoglu required his arrest.

"We don't want the arrest of any politician, but if there is evidence of a violation then it can happen," Tunc said through a translator.
"If we look at the gravity of the allegations, and as there is risk that evidence can be concealed, the judiciary has made a reasonable decision," he added.

The CHP has called on Turks to continue protesting, saying it would organise rallies and gatherings at different locations in Istanbul and elsewhere. Erdogan has dismissed the protests as a "show" and warned of legal consequences for protesters.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,879 people had been detained since the protests erupted last Wednesday, adding that courts jailed 260 of them pending trial. He added that 489 were released and 662 others were still being processed, while 150 police officers were injured.

Rights groups called on Turkey to probe what they termed excessive force by police in dispersing crowds, and urged the government to allow the protests, which have been largely peaceful. Western leaders have said the case marked democratic backsliding.

On Wednesday, Istanbul's opposition-run municipality elected an interim mayor, CHP's Nuri Aslan, to run Turkey's biggest city for the remainder of Imamoglu's term, in a move preventing the government from appointing a trustee to run the municipality as it has done for years in other provinces.