Police arrest Istanbul mayor and key Erdoğan rival amid crackdown

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s key rivals and Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, amid a larger crackdown on the opposition.

A statement from the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office called İmamoğlu a “criminal enterprise ringleader.” He was detained among 100 others, including his close aide Murat Ongun and election campaign manager Necati Özkan.

In a görüntü posted on social media following the allegations against him, İmamoğlu declared “I love you all very much, I entrust myself to my nation. Let everyone know that I will stand tall.”

The move comes days before İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) is set to hold presidential candidate elections on Sunday, in which İmamoğlu is the only candidate.

It also comes a day after Istanbul University annulled his degree, a decision which would disqualify him from running in presidential elections if upheld.

The wider crackdown by Turkish authorities targeted Medya A.Ş., a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and those involved in the so-called “city consensus” between opposition parties.

The “city consensus” is an agreement between İmamoğlu’s opposition CHP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Freedom and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to support the same candidate in several Istanbul districts in municipal elections.

İmamoğlu is suspected of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) by allying with the DEM. The PKK has waged a decades long insurgency within Turkey and is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and other Turkish allies.

Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said İmamoğlu aided the work of the PKK “by knowingly participating in the urban consensus activity, which aimed to increase the effectiveness of the terrorist organisation in metropolitan areas, as stated by the management.”

İmamoğlu and his aides are also accused of corruption, including requesting bribes, extorting money and using the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s subsidiaries for financial gain.

Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections last year amid growing calls for early national elections.

Government officials insist that the courts operate independently and have rejected claims that the arrests are politically motivated.