Istanbul Court Orders Imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor

AFP

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

An Istanbul court on Sunday, 23 March 2025, formally placed the city's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, under arrest in a graft probe, four days after his detention sparked Turkey's worst unrest in over a decade, one of his lawyers told AFP.

The mayor is one of 100 people being investigated on corruption charges, and is also being probed in a second case on "terror-related" allegations, with the court due to rule on that in the coming hours.

Turkish prosecutors have previously asked a court to jail Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and potential challenger to the Turkish President, along with four of his aides pending trial on terrorism and corruption charges, Imamoglu's office said.

Imamoglu has denied the charges, calling them "unimaginable accusations and slanders." His arrest caused wide political tensions and sparked widespread protests across Türkiye, with demonstrators gathering in several cities to voice their opposition.

The Turkish mayor's Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition, has condemned the detention as politically motivated and has urged supporters to demonstrate lawfully, while the government denies any influence over the matter and says the judiciary is independent.

The 54 year-old was due to be named the CHP's official presidential candidate within days.

The next election is set for 2028, but the current Turkish President has reached his two-term limit as president after previously serving as prime minister. If he wishes to run again, he must call an early election or change the constitution.

On Saturday, the president, who has run the country for more than 22 years, accused the CHP of trying to "provoke our nation", adding they would not tolerate vandalism.



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