Mayor of Istanbul is being detained as part of a corruption investigation in Turkey – days before he was elected presidential candidate.
Ekrem Imamogul of the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP) is considered one of Turkish Receptacle Tayp Erdogan’s strongest political rivals.
Prosecutors say he is being accused of being a “surprising leader of a criminal organization.” 100 suspects, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, were also taken into custody as part of the investigation.
Imamoguru said, “We cannot silence the will of people.” State media reports that a four-day lockdown of meetings, demonstrations and press releases is in place in the city.
Taking him on social media following allegations against him, Imamoguru has vowed to be “decisive” for the Turkish people and for all who support democracy and justice around the world.”
“I’m stuck in the fight for basic rights and freedoms,” he added.
Dozens of police officers were involved in an early morning attack at Imamoguru’s home in historic Turkish city.
The presidential selection for CHP, where Imamoguru is the only candidate, is scheduled to take place on Sunday.
The day after Istanbul University invalidated his degree, it was a decision that would prevent him from running in the presidential election. According to the Turkish constitution, the president must have completed his higher education to carry out his office.
Imamoguru called the move “legally unfounded” and added that “universities must be independent, free from political interference and dedicated to knowledge.”
His CHP party characterized his recent intervention against him as an “attempt of a coup” to “prevent the country from determining the next president.”
Party chair Ozgur Ozel wrote in X that it would be a coup using force to place will on behalf of people and replace or prevent them.
Its vice-chairman Ilhan Uzgel accused the government of using detention as “a “threatening” Türkiye’s opposition.
He told the BBC that his party is “generally very concerned about the state of democracy in Turkey.”
Government media outlets report that not only are they accused of fear and fraud, but Imamoguru also claims they also supported the PKK.
The PKK or Kurdistan Workers’ Party – has been in rebellion since 1984 and is banned as a terrorist group in the Turkish, the EU, the UK and the US.
This is not the first time that Imamoguru has had a brush on the law.
In 2022, he was sentenced to more than two and a half years in prison for shaming a civil servant in his speech.
A four-day ban was introduced in all demonstrations, meetings and press releases in Istanbul after extensive detention on Wednesday. The reason for this is said to “maintain public order and prevent provocative actions.”
Many streets in Istanbul are also closed to traffic, but some metropolitan lines have also cancelled their services.
