Turkish Court Orders Detention of Erdogan’s Political Opponent for Corruption Charges until Trial

March 23, 2025 TruthUSA

The arrest was carried out following a raid on the Istanbul mayor’s residence by Turkish authorities earlier this week.

A Turkish court issued an arrest order for the mayor of Istanbul on March 23, a prominent adversary of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu will be held in custody until his trial on corruption charges. He was taken into custody after a raid on his home triggered widespread street protests, the largest seen in Turkey in over a decade.

Imamoglu’s detention has raised concerns about democratic decline among his supporters and many European leaders, including outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who described it as “distressing for democracy in Turkey, and also for the relationship between Europe and Turkey.”

His arrest is viewed by some as a strategic move to eliminate a strong contender for Turkey’s 2028 presidential election.

Government officials maintain that Turkey’s judiciary acts independently and refute claims of politically motivated legal actions against opposition figures.

The court decided to detain Imamoglu on suspicion of leading a criminal organization, as stated by the prosecutor’s office. He is accused of bribery, extortion, bid-rigging, and unauthorized collection of personal data.

Over 300 people were detained for disturbances and protests on Sunday night, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The public demonstrations in support of Imamoglu have attracted hundreds of thousands.

While most protests have been peaceful, some have turned violent, prompting police to use water cannons, pepper spray, tear gas, and plastic pellets against protesters in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. In response, some protesters hurled stones, fireworks, and other objects at riot police.

Imamoglu’s arrest came as more than 1.5 million members of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) began a presidential primary to endorse him as their candidate. As Imamoglu was the only candidate from the party, the primary, announced in February, was largely symbolic.

The Republican People’s Party set up symbolic ballot boxes across Turkey to allow non-party members to show support for Imamoglu. Large crowds gathered to cast “solidarity ballots” on Sunday morning.

The mayor urged people on social media to demonstrate “their struggle for democracy and justice to the entire world” through the ballot box. He predicted Erdogan would be defeated by “our righteousness, our courage, our humility, and our smiling face.”

Prior to this arrest, the mayor faced other criminal charges that could result in jail time and a political ban. He had been appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council.

This week, a university revoked his diploma, citing inconsistencies in his transfer from a private college in northern Cyprus three decades ago. This move effectively disqualifies him from running for president, as candidates must hold a university degree. Imamoglu has vowed to contest the decision.

He was initially elected mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, in March 2019. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party had ruled the city for 25 years. Following allegations of irregularities, the party moved to annul the municipal election results.

In a rerun election a few months later, Imamoglu emerged victorious again and assumed office as mayor of the city with a population of 16 million. He retained his position after last year’s local elections, during which the Republican People’s Party made significant gains over Erdogan’s party.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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