Ekrem Imamoglu, a popular opposition figure, was poised to run in his party’s presidential primary in the coming days
News Desk - The Cradle
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered a prominent rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested at his home by police on Wednesday morning. A number of his aides have also been detained, and arrest warrants for at least 100 more people were issued.
According to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, Imamoglu and others have been accused of “running a criminal organization, membership of a criminal organization, corruption, bribery, fraud, illegally obtaining personal data and corruption in a public tender.”
Imamoglu and several others are also accused of “aiding” the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – outlawed in Turkiye – by participating in an “urban consensus initiative” aimed at bolstering the Kurdish group’s influence in last year’s local elections.
Members of the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), a union of left-wing political parties in Turkiye – have also been detained or are being investigated.
Imamoglu is a member of Turkiye’s main opposition group, the Republican People's Party (CHP). He was set to run for his party’s presidential primary on 23 March – during which he was expected to be chosen as the CHP candidate for future presidential elections scheduled for 2028.
The arrest comes a day after Istanbul University nullified Imamoglu’s diploma, making him ineligible for running in elections under Turkish law.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” he said in a video message on Wednesday shortly before his arrest, accusing the government of “usurping the will” of the Turkish people.
This is what he posted shortly before he was detained this morning.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged." #Turkey #imamoğlu https://t.co/UjXBYadTj7
— Neyran Elden (@neyranelden) March 19, 2025
The government has imposed restrictions on social media platforms, including TikTok and YouTube. A state of emergency has been declared in Istanbul, and the Istanbul governorate announced that all protests and press statements will be banned for four days.
Turkish authorities regularly crack down on opposition to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Earlier this year, Turkiye detained the chairman of the Victory Party opposition group, Umit Ozdag, for “insulting” Erdogan and making “provocative statements.”
Ozdag maintains that he was arrested on political grounds. "Democracy cannot be established with illegal arrests and silencing," he wrote in a statement to Reuters from his jail cell last week.
Last month, hundreds of journalists, politicians, and academics accused of PKK ties were arrested during police raids in dozens of provinces.
The raids coincided with efforts by the Turkish government to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts over alleged links to the PKK.
In late February, jailed PKK head Abdullah Ocalan called for his group – which has been engaged in an armed conflict with Ankara for decades – to lay down its weapons and dissolve itself. This came after it was revealed that Ocalan has been working on a peace plan to end the conflict with Turkiye, which is reportedly set to be unveiled soon.
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