Istanbul Mayor Arrested on Corruption Charges, Removed From Office
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been formally arrested and jailed pending trial on corruption charges, a Turkish court announced on Sunday, as per Al Jazeera.
The arrest follows his detention earlier in the week, which sparked widespread protests across the country.
Imamoglu was taken to Marmara Prison near Istanbul’s Silivri district. The court stated that Imamoglu and at least 20 others were jailed as part of a corruption investigation. While the court acknowledged “strong suspicion of aiding an armed terrorist organization,” it opted not to press terror charges, citing his impending arrest for financial crimes.
Following the court’s decision, the Interior Ministry announced Imamoglu’s removal from mayoral duty.
In his initial response to the ruling, Imamoglu vowed not to yield. He described the legal proceedings surrounding his detention as “a complete extrajudicial execution” and “a betrayal against Türkiye,” calling for mass demonstrations nationwide.
Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was initially detained on Wednesday on allegations of corruption and terrorism. He has denied all charges, characterizing them as a “smear campaign.” The government maintains that the cases are not politically motivated.
Protests erupted in Istanbul on Saturday night, with police estimating the crowd size at 300,000, while opposition sources claimed nearly one million participants.
Prior to his detention, Imamoglu’s potential candidacy in the upcoming election faced a setback when Istanbul University annulled his diploma, citing irregularities with Council of Higher Education regulations. Under Turkish law, presidential candidates are required to possess a higher education degree.
The CHP (Republican People’s Party) is encouraging non-party members to vote in order to bolster public opposition following Imamoglu’s detention. The CHP, which has over 1.5 million members, established 5,600 ballot boxes across Turkey’s 81 provinces for voting purposes.
