Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and Four Aides Face Pretrial Detention

Developments are rapidly unfolding in Istanbul as prosecutors have requested the court to order the pretrial detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and four of his aides amid two separate cases involving allegations of corruption and terrorism. The services of the elected official and the leader of Turkey’s opposition party announced these charges. Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and expected to challenge him in the upcoming presidential elections, denies the accusations, labeling them as “unthinkable,” “baseless,” “unethical,” and “slanderous.” The Istanbul court is expected to decide promptly on whether he will remain under pretrial detention, with a final decision anticipated from 12 judges within the coming hours. Massive protests erupted across Istanbul, with thousands gathering outside both the courthouse and city hall. Similar demonstrations occurred in other major cities like Izmir, Ankara, and Antalya, resulting in clashes with police and over 300 arrests. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) condemned the arrest as a ‘coup’ against democracy. If the court adopts the prosecution’s proposal, Imamoglu could lose his mayoral position, casting uncertainty over his planned candidacy for the 2028 presidential election.