Turkish police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday, a key opposition leader and rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
His arrest comes days before he was set to be named a presidential candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
According to reports, Imamoglu was arrested along with 100 others including politicians, journalists, businessmen. His close aide Murat Ongun and two district mayors were also among those detained.
Protests have broken out across Turkey following their detention.
BREAKING:
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Istanbul, Turkey to protest against the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul and main opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu.
The man who the opposition was uniting behind for the 2028 pres. election was arrested on corruption charges 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/3wTM6y7LcS
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 19, 2025
People push against police barricades to protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is due to be selected as a presidential candidate for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Ankara, Turkey. #GettyNewsVideo 🎥Serdar Özsoy ➡️https://t.co/6T3ygThUWf pic.twitter.com/kNTy6MdFyc
— Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) March 20, 2025
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called the detentions a “coup attempt,” accusing the government of using the judiciary to eliminate rivals. “Today, the will of the people is being seized through a judicial coup,” he told supporters.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc dismissed allegations of political interference, saying it is presumptuous and inappropriate to associate judicial actions with the president.
“It is inappropriate to assess the initiated investigations without being fully informed about the case file, claims, and evidence,” Tunc added. “It is utterly dangerous and wrong to mischaracterize the investigations conducted by the independent and impartial judiciary or describe them using expressions such as coup d’état.”
Fahrettin Altun, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, accused opposition figures of undermining the legal process.
Altun also condemned what he described as “absurd accusations” against President Erdogan, stating that these claims stem from political and ideological biases that overlook the details of the ongoing investigation.
“We will stand firm against such efforts, which not only aim to damage the independence of our judiciary—exercising its authority on behalf of the Turkish Nation—but also seek to cast suspicion on our President,” he added. “We will continue to protect the legal rights of our President against these ideological smear campaigns.”
