Türkiye: Opposition Calls İmamoğlu's Arrest an Attempt to Remove Rival

Turkish authorities have detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, one of the country's most influential opposition politicians, who was considered a leading contender for the presidency and the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Orda.kz reports.

The opposition views his detention as a politically motivated move to eliminate Erdoğan’s strongest challenger.

Charges and Mass Arrests

İmamoğlu has been charged with corruption, running a criminal organization, tender fraud, and aiding the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)*, also banned in Kazakhstan.

As part of the investigation, arrest warrants were issued for 100 individuals, including journalists, businessmen, and close associates of the mayor, such as his media adviser Murat Ongun.

Police searched İmamoğlu’s residence following his detention.

A day before his arrest, Istanbul University revoked İmamoğlu’s diploma, effectively barring him from running in the presidential elections under the Turkish Constitution.

Authorities cited an investigation into his transfer from the University of Northern Cyprus, which was not officially recognized in Türkiye at the time.

İmamoğlu denounced his arrest as a politically motivated attempt to block his candidacy.

I will not be afraid, I will stand up straight and continue to fight, he said, addressing supporters via social media.

In response to the events, Istanbul authorities have imposed a four-day ban on public gatherings and protests in the city.

Internet Restrictions in Türkiye

Against the backdrop of İmamoğlu’s arrest, access to X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok was disrupted across Türkiye, according to NetBlocks. Reports suggest bandwidth throttling was applied to limit access to social media.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov

*The Kurdistan Workers’ Party is recognized as a terrorist organization in Kazakhstan