What we know about the order to imprison the mayor of Istanbul

On Sunday, a judge order to imprison Istanbul’s mayor, who belongs to the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which is the biggest opposition party in Türkiye, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on corruption charges, along with dozens of co-defendants.

İmamoğlu, (53), was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019 and re-elected for a new term last year, and he is considered Erdogan’s primary opponent.

He became a target for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Erdoğan after becoming mayor of Istanbul, the country’s richest and largest city with a population of around 16 million.

İmamoğlu was arrested early Wednesday on charges of “corruption” and “supporting a terrorist organization,” stemming from an election agreement between his party and a pro-Kurdish party that authorities accuse of links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

The mayor of Istanbul’s detention order, stated that “suspect Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, corruption, illegally recording personal data, and manipulating tenders”.

The prison order stated that “although there are strong suspicions of committing the crime of supporting an armed terrorist organization… It’s not necessary at this stage to issue an order for his imprisonment for this reason after it was decided to imprison him for committing financial crimes”.

Approximately 90 people, in addition to the mayor of Istanbul, were arrested, including the mayors of two Istanbul districts, who were issued with detention orders on Sunday on alleged corruption and terrorism charges.

These two elected officials belong to the Republican People’s Party (a social-democratic and secular party), founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, which holds 134 seats in parliament, compared to 272 seats for the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

In the March 2024 local elections, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) won 35 of Türkiye’s 81 provincial capitals, 11 ahead of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and thus retained or won most major cities, such as the capital Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, and the major industrial city of Bursa.

On Sunday, İmamoğlu was scheduled to be nominated as his party’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, in a primary election in which he would be the sole candidate.

Istanbul University on Tuesday invalidated İmamoğlu’s diploma just hours before his arrest, adding another obstacle to his bid to run, as the Turkish constitution requires any presidential candidate to have a higher education degree.

In 2023, İmamoğlu was barred from running for president due to a conviction for insulting members of the Supreme Election Board.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) decided to proceed with the primary elections on Sunday, and called on all Turks, even those not registered with the party, to participate, hoping to turn the vote into a referendum.

And as a result of that, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) has officially nominated İmamoğlu, as the party’s nominee to run in the 2028 presidential election.

The arrest of Imamoglu, a key opponent of Erdoğan, on Wednesday sparked an unprecedented wave of protests in Türkiye since the massive Gezi protests of 2013, which began in Istanbul’s Taksim Square.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Istanbul on Friday and Saturday nights, with large demonstrations also taking place in Ankara and Izmir.

In total, at least 55 of Türkiye’s 81 provinces witnessed demonstrations this week, more than two-thirds of the country’s provinces.

Observers believe that this youth-led protest movement is not only driven by the situation facing Ekrem İmamoğlu, but also by other demands, including freedom, justice, democracy, and prosperity.