Istanbul court officially places Imamoglu under arrest

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
23 Mar 2025 14:40

An Istanbul court has formally arrested opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges, days after his detention sparked mass protests across Turkiye.

Listen

Protesters hang a banner with the image of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as they protest against his arrest, in Istanbul, Turkiye, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP)

An Istanbul court has officially placed the city’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, under arrest as part of a corruption investigation, four days after his detention triggered Turkiye’s most significant unrest in over a decade.

Imamoglu is among 100 individuals under investigation for graft and is also facing a separate case involving "terror-related" allegations, with a court ruling expected in the coming hours.

The opposition mayor, a member of the social democratic Republican People's Party (CHP), was taken into custody on Wednesday when police raided his home.

Early Sunday, Turkish prosecutors formally requested the arrest of Imamoglu and four of his aides.

His detention has sparked widespread public outrage, leading to mass protests that have spread across more than 55 of Turkiye’s 81 provinces.

Since Thursday, tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in largely peaceful protests, including in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

Imamoglu denies terror, corruption allegations

On Saturday, Imamoglu's supporters rallied outside the Istanbul courthouse where he was interrogated for five hours. Large crowds also assembled outside the municipal building, waving Turkish flags and chanting slogans in his favor.

Imamoglu has rejected allegations linking him to corruption and terrorism, as nationwide protests grow in response to his detention and Turkish authorities ramp up arrests of demonstrators.

According to Turkish broadcaster A Haber, Imamoglu spent five hours testifying on Saturday in connection with charges that he appointed individuals with alleged links to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to municipal positions. He is expected to appear in court later in the evening at 7:30 p.m. local time (16:30 GMT).

Dismissing the allegations, Imamoglu defended his campaign activities and denied employing individuals affiliated with the PKK. "Contacts he had with various political parties during the election campaign were natural," he said, adding that his detention "undermined Turkiye's democracy."

Political unrest

Imamoglu was taken into custody on Wednesday as part of a broader investigation into an organization accused of bribery, graft, and supporting terrorism. His arrest, widely viewed as politically charged, has triggered an outpouring of opposition protests across Turkiye.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Saturday that 343 people were arrested in nine provinces during demonstrations overnight. He also said 16 police officers were injured during the clashes, and 54 individuals were detained for "incitement to hatred" through online posts.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul condemned what he described as attempts to incite violence. "There are parties inciting citizens and pushing them to clash with security forces," he stated. "These individuals and those cooperating with them are committing a clear crime." He further warned that Turkish authorities would not allow this "dirty plan" to succeed and that "everyone will be held accountable in court."

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the opposition's reaction to the arrest. "The country's opposition had ‘lost balance,' resorting to threatening police, judges and prosecutors," he said on Thursday.