A Turkish court has brought new charges against opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, whose arrest earlier this year triggered widespread anti-government demonstrations across the country.
The charges, announced on Monday, follow an investigation launched last week into alleged connections between İmamoğlu and a businessman detained in July for reportedly conducting intelligence activities on behalf of foreign governments. Prosecutors allege that the mayor may have shared sensitive information for political or financial gain.
According to İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), the move represents another escalation in what they describe as a long-standing crackdown on opposition voices under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration.
The Turkish government has strongly rejected these claims, maintaining that the judiciary operates independently and that all charges are tied to legitimate investigations into corruption and illegal conduct.
Background and Ongoing Legal Battles
İmamoğlu was arrested in March on corruption allegations and received a jail sentence in July for allegedly insulting and threatening Istanbul’s chief prosecutor. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that new charges accuse the opposition leader of transferring personal data of Istanbul residents to secure foreign funding for his presidential campaign an accusation İmamoğlu firmly denies.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed the claims as politically motivated:
“Such slander, lies, and conspiracy wouldn’t even cross the devil’s mind. We are witnessing a shameful act of indecency that words cannot describe,” İmamoğlu wrote.
Wider Crackdown on the Opposition
The court also charged Necati Özkan, İmamoğlu’s former campaign manager, and Merdan Yanardağ, editor-in-chief of the independent broadcaster Tele1. The government seized the station on Friday, citing links to alleged espionage activities.
Hundreds of İmamoğlu’s supporters gathered outside Istanbul’s main courthouse over the weekend as prosecutors questioned him for the first time since his imprisonment. It marked his first public appearance in seven months since being detained in Marmara Prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul.
Critics say his detention is part of a broader effort to weaken the opposition following their significant gains in last year’s local elections. Several CHP mayors and officials have been arrested throughout the year on corruption-related charges.
President Erdoğan has repeatedly denied interfering with the judiciary, asserting that all proceedings are handled “within the framework of law and due process.”
In a related development, an Ankara court on Friday dismissed an attempt to remove Özgür Özel as CHP leader, rejecting claims of vote-buying and procedural irregularities at the party’s 2023 congress.
