Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been jailed on corruption charges, triggering mass protests across Turkiye as his supporters accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of political persecution.
Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s most prominent challenger in the 2028 presidential election, was detained on Wednesday and formally jailed yesterday.
An Istanbul court ordered his detention after charges of corruption were brought against him, while a separate anti-terrorism charge was dismissed.
Imamoglu has denied all allegations and called for nationwide protests from his prison cell in Marmara Prison, located near Istanbul’s Silivri district.
Critics of Erdogan have claimed that Imamoglu’s arrest was politically motivated, coinciding with a crucial primary vote organised by Turkiye’s main opposition party, the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP).
People turned out in such large numbers that voting was extended by three and a half hours.
Social media crackdown
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Despite Imamoglu’s arrest, the CHP’s primary proceeded as planned, with nearly 15 million people voting for the jailed mayor.
Municipal officials said that around 1.7 million members and 13 million non-members cast their ballots in support of Imamoglu as the party’s official candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
CHP chairman Ozgur Ozel shared the primary results on X, stating: “The number of votes for Ekrem Imamoglu from our members and the solidarity ballot box is over 14 million 850 thousand.”
Ozel argued that the results challenge Erdogan’s legitimacy and make an early election inevitable, urging supporters to “come out and challenge.”
As protests escalated, the government sought to suppress opposition voices on social media. The Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) ordered the blocking of over 700 accounts, including those belonging to journalists, political figures, and student activists.
Although X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, objected to the court orders, some opposition-linked accounts were suspended.
The Ministry of the Interior stated that the blocked accounts were investigated for allegedly inciting hatred. Protesters condemned the crackdown as a violation of freedom of expression, with several activists and journalists reporting excessive police violence.
Clashes with police
As demonstrations continued across Istanbul and Ankara, clashes between protesters and police became more frequent. Authorities deployed large numbers of security personnel, with some officers using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Protesters threw flares and bottles, and several people were detained.
The annulment of Imamoglu’s university diploma just days before his arrest has also sparked controversy. Istanbul University announced that his diploma had been annulled due to irregularities in his transfer to the Management Faculty’s English-language programme in 1990.
Imamoglu condemned the decision as “unlawful” and vowed to challenge it in court.
Opposition leaders criticised the move, with CHP lawmaker Murat Emir calling it a “heavy blow to our democracy” and Good Party chairman Musavat Dervisoglu describing it as “beyond purging a political rival.”
The annulment of Imamoglu’s diploma and his arrest have raised questions about his eligibility to challenge Erdogan in the 2028 presidential election.
As one of the most prominent opposition figures, Imamoglu has faced numerous investigations and legal challenges throughout his career, including a 2022 sentence of two years and seven months in prison for allegedly insulting members of Turkiye’s High Election Council, a ruling that he has appealed.
While protests continue to grow, Imamoglu’s legal battles and the government’s response have drawn widespread attention, leaving the future of his political career uncertain.
