Prosecutors have filed new espionage charges against Istanbul’s imprisoned Mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, further intensifying the legal pressure on this prominent opposition figure, who is regarded as a significant rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. These new charges stem from an investigation initiated last week concerning alleged connections between Imamoglu’s political campaign and a businessman arrested in July for purportedly engaging in intelligence activities on behalf of foreign governments. Additionally, İmamoğlu’s former campaign manager, Necati Ozkan (Necati Özkan), and journalist Merdan Yanardag (Merdan Yanardağ) have also been charged.
According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, İmamoğlu—who is currently in pretrial detention on corruption charges—faces allegations of transferring personal data of Istanbul residents in an effort to secure international funding for his campaign. İmamoğlu has publicly rejected these accusations, calling them “nonsense” in a statement shared on social media. He remarked, “Even the claim that I burned down Rome would have been more credible than this nonsense. Our struggle against this mindset that has sworn to ruin our nation’s future has now grown even stronger.”
On Sunday, hundreds of supporters gathered outside Istanbul’s main courthouse as prosecutors questioned İmamoğlu. This marked the first occasion in seven months that İmamoğlu had left Marmara Prison, located on the outskirts of Istanbul. Critics argue that his arrest, along with those of other mayors from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is indicative of a broader crackdown on dissent, particularly following the opposition’s significant gains in last year’s local elections. Throughout the year, several municipalities governed by the CHP have experienced waves of arrests.
İmamoğlu’s arrest in March triggered nationwide protests; however, the government maintains that Turkey’s judiciary operates independently and that the ongoing investigations are strictly focused on corruption.
In a Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargment Marta Kos on 19 March, noted that the “detention of Istanbul mayor İmamoğlu and the arrests and charges brought against elected officials, political activists, civil society and businesses representatives, journalists, and others since the beginning of the year, give rise to questions regarding Türkiye’s adherence to its long-established democratic tradition”.
The EU urged the Turkish authorities to provide complete transparency and to follow due process.
“I have been investigated 1,300 times in six years, and I was cleared every single time. I walked away from 48 administrative and 51 personal investigations with a clean record. In this political trial, it is not me who needs to be vindicated. Those who annulled my diploma under pressure, those who turned the judiciary into a tool of political revenge will never wash away the stain they have placed on themselves. I have no regrets and no despair. I am proud of everything I have done as the Mayor of 16 million people. And I know that the people, stronger than any power, will take back the future of this country at the ballot box,” İmamoğlu wrote in a post on X, on 16 October.
“As an EU candidate country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices,” the Joint Statement emphasised.
The two commissioners highlighted that respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law are essential for the EU accession process. “They will continue to be an integral part of EU-Türkiye relations.”
This article used information from The Associated Press
