Turkey: Istanbul Mayor Handcuffed
A police raid took place in Istanbul at the home of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Turkey's financial capital and a key figure in the opposition to President Erdogan. Imamoglu is accused of corruption and links to Kurdish PKK rebels
There has been a political earthquake in Turkey: on Wednesday, March 19, Turkish police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu (pictured) by breaking into his home. Imamoglu is one of the leading figures in the opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The politician confirmed his arrest on social media, writing: “Hundreds of police officers showed up at my doorstep and invaded my home. I believe in my country.”
According to media reports and the Yeni Safak newspaper, the investigation has centered on the illegal distribution of government contracts. The arrest warrant for Imamoglu was issued on charges of “extortion, corruption, fraud, and tender irregularities by a criminal organization” as well as “aiding the (Kurdish) terrorist organization PKK.” During the raid, in addition to the mayor himself, the police detained about a hundred people from his inner circle, including well-known journalist Ismail Saymaz.
The arrest followed a high-profile decision by Istanbul University on Tuesday, March 18, to “revoke Imamoglu’s diploma.” The university invalidated the politician’s degree, citing a “clear error” contained therein. According to the IHA news agency, “similar measures have affected 27 others whose academic qualifications have been revoked.”
The investigation against Imamoglu was initiated in February this year on the orders of Istanbul’s chief prosecutor on suspicion of “forging official documents.” The mayor faces charges that he illegally transferred to Istanbul University in 1990 from the American University of Girne, located in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by official Turkish institutions. The revocation of the diploma could have serious consequences for Imamoglu’s political future, since, according to the Turkish Constitution, “a citizen cannot be elected head of state without having a higher education diploma.”
In 2022, Imamoglu was sentenced to more than two years in prison on charges of “insulting an official.” The verdict could jeopardize his political participation, but the case is still under appeal.
Meanwhile, the Istanbul Prefecture has imposed a ban on all public gatherings, including political protests and public readings of press releases until March 23. In addition, trading on the Istanbul Stock Exchange was temporarily suspended after the BIST index plummeted sharply by 6.87% at the opening of trading.
Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), the largest opposition force from which Imamoglu was elected, has characterized what is happening as a “coup d’état against the will of the people.”
Meanwhile, reactions from the international community have begun to pour in. In Brussels, the Italian Democratic Party delegation to the European Parliament strongly condemned “the events in Turkey – the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, representing the largest opposition party, as well as the ban on public protest.” An official statement from the Democratic Party emphasized that “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is afraid of democracy and its rules.” Democratic Party MEPs expressed “full solidarity” with opposition forces and the mayor of Istanbul. demanding the “immediate release” of Imamoglu. They also called on the European Commission and the EU Council “not to stand aside and to take all possible measures to restore full democracy.”
