Turkish police have arrested Istanbul’s mayor – a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terrorism links.
It was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and about 100 other people.
Among those detained was Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun.
Authorities also closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.
Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections in 2024 amid growing calls for early national elections.
Government officials insist the courts operate independently and reject claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated.
The arrest came during a search of Imamoglu’s home on Wednesday morning, but it was not immediately clear if police confiscated anything at the site.
A day earlier, a university in Istanbul invalidated Imamoglu’s diploma, effectively disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race.
Having a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
The mayor’s party – the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP – was to hold a primary on Sunday where Imamoglu was expected to be chosen as its presidential candidate.
Turkey’s next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.
With the arrests on Wednesday, it is unlikely that vote will be held.
In a social media post in English, a defiant Imamoglu said: “The will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts. I stand resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens of (Turkey.)”
CHP’s chairman, Ozgur Ozel, denounced Imamoglu’s detention, saying: “We are facing an attempted coup against our next president.”
Separately, police also detained a prominent investigative journalist, Ismail Saymaz, for questioning, the opposition-aligned Halk TV reported.
Meanwhile, internet-access advocacy group netblocks.org reported on Wednesday that access has been restricted in Turkey to popular social media platforms.
The opposition leader faces multiple lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities.
The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban.
Imamoglu is also appealing a 2022 conviction of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could result in a political ban.
He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in 2019 in a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter of a century.
The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities, but Imamoglu won a repeat of the election a few months later.
The mayor retained his seat following local elections in 2024, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.
Source: AAP
