World
India
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and rising political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested early Wednesday on charges of corruption and links to a terrorist organization. The controversial move has ignited mass protests across Turkey, with opposition leaders decrying the arrest as a politically motivated attempt to sideline a formidable challenger ahead of future elections.
Who is Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu?
Imamoglu, a 53-year-old businessman and former district mayor, rose to prominence in 2019 when he won the mayoral election in Istanbul, dealing a historic defeat to Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). His victory ended 25 years of AKP dominance in Turkey’s largest and most economically significant city. Despite initial election results being annulled over alleged vote irregularities, Imamoglu secured a landslide win in a repeat election, further solidifying his status as a key opposition leader.
The latest arrest order, issued by Istanbul prosecutors, accuses Imamoglu of corruption, racketeering, and illegally recording personal data. He is also alleged to have formed an alliance with a Kurdish political faction linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Istanbul municipal elections—an accusation his supporters dismiss as a fabricated charge to tarnish his political credibility.
Imamoglu’s arrest comes just days before the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party, was set to nominate him as its presidential candidate in a primary election scheduled for Sunday. The timing of the arrest, coupled with the Istanbul University’s sudden decision to invalidate his diploma, has raised concerns about an orchestrated effort to prevent him from running for higher office.
Under Turkish law, only university graduates are eligible to run for the presidency. Imamoglu has vowed to legally challenge the university’s decision, calling it a blatant attempt to manipulate the political landscape in favor of Erdogan’s administration.
Erdogan’s Opposition Crackdown
This is not the first time Imamoglu has faced legal troubles. In 2022, he was sentenced to more than two years in prison for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council. Although he remained free pending an appeal, the conviction cast a shadow over his political future.
His arrest is part of a broader government crackdown on opposition figures, journalists, and activists. In recent months, Turkey has witnessed the detention of opposition lawmakers, business leaders, and media personnel, as well as the removal of elected officials in opposition-held municipalities.
Among the high-profile detainees are Selahattin Demirtas, the former leader of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, who has been imprisoned since 2016 on terrorism-related charges, and Osman Kavala, a businessman and rights activist jailed since 2017 for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government. Both cases have drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights organizations.
Mass Protests Erupt Nationwide
Imamoglu’s arrest has sparked the largest wave of demonstrations in Turkey since the Gezi Park protests of 2013. Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, demanding his immediate release and denouncing Erdogan’s administration for what they call a “political coup.”
Rallies have taken place in at least 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, with demonstrators chanting slogans against government corruption and judicial interference. CHP leaders have called for nationwide solidarity and urged all Turkish citizens, regardless of party affiliation, to participate in the upcoming primary as an act of defiance against political suppression.
Despite government reassurances that the judiciary is acting independently, many analysts view Imamoglu’s arrest as a strategic move by Erdogan to eliminate one of his strongest rivals ahead of the 2028 presidential elections. Soner Cagaptay, a Turkey expert at the Washington Institute, noted that Erdogan has multiple tools to weaken Imamoglu’s candidacy but resorting to an arrest suggests growing political anxiety within the ruling party.
