The mayor of the Turkish city of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, remains in custody after being arrested on allegations of corruption and aiding a terrorist group.
Large-scale protests in the city have continued into a second day, as demonstrators express concern over what they say is the undemocratic detention of the most credible political threat to Turkey's current President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Background
President Erdoğan, who took power in 2003, has recently increased the frequency of his crackdowns on political opposition, journalists, media and the judiciary.
Amid a struggling economy, Erdoğan’s flailing popularity emerged in the most recent local elections, where opposition parties like Imamoglu’s made substantial gains, particularly in major metropolitan areas.
Ekrem Imamoglu
Imamogolu is a member of the Republican People’s Party (referred to as the CHP) and has become a popular political figure across the country since becoming mayor of Istanbul in 2019.
He was set to be announced as his party’s presidential candidate for the 2028 national elections this weekend, where he will pose the most credible threat to the current regime.
Earlier this week, Imamogolu was arrested in a dawn raid on his house as part of a sting operation involving the detention of 100 people, mostly other politicians, journalists and business figures.
Federal prosecutors allege Imamogolu has been assisting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a designated terrorist organisation in Turkey.
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As well as the arrest, Imamogolu’s diploma from Istanbul University was annulled on Tuesday. He is also currently appealing a 2022 conviction, where he was found guilty of insulting members of Turkey's Supreme Electoral Council.
Should his appeal be unsuccessful, it could lead to Imamogolu being disqualified from future presidential elections.
Protests
As news of the arrest broke, thousands of Turkish protesters began to mobilise across the country, despite a four-day ban on demonstrations being imposed after Imamogolu’s arrest.
The largest gatherings have been at Istanbul’s Town Hall, and on the campus of the Middle East Technical University.
At least 37 people have been arrested after being connected to social media posts that promoted the protests, which prosecutors said “incited the public to hatred and hostility”.
Reactions
In a message posted on X, Imamoglu called on protestors to “stand against this evil as a nation”, and it is “time to raise our voices”. It is not known how long he will remain in detention.
Meanwhile, President Erdogan dismissed allegations he orchestrated the arrest.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz called on Imamoglu to be released, saying “We can only call for this to end immediately and for the opposition and government to stand in competition with each other, and not the opposition being brought to court”.
