İstanbul mayor detained on multiple charges as he prepared to challenge Erdoğan for presidency

İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and dozens of municipal officials were detained this morning. Hundreds of police officers were dispatched to İmamoğlu's house in the Sarıyer district.

According to a statement from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, İmamoğlu and the other suspects are under two separate investigations. One probe involves allegations of "aiding a terrorist organization," while the other includes charges of "forming and leading a criminal organization," "bribery," and "aggravated fraud."

The terror-related investigation centers on the cooperation between the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party in last year’s municipal elections. As part of this alliance, DEM refrained from fielding candidates in certain districts or ran candidates on CHP lists, allowing them to secure municipal council seats.

Prosecutors launched an investigation into this cooperation last month, alleging that the collaboration was orchestrated by the PKK militant group. The probe has already led to the detention of municipal officials and council members from various İstanbul district municipalities.

The second investigation involves corruption-related charges, with prosecutors referring to an entity they describe as the "İmamoğlu criminal organization." İmamoğlu is accused of forming and leading a criminal organization, bribery, and aggravated fraud.

Among those detained in the "terror" investigation are İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Deputy General Secretary Mahir Polat, Şişli District Mayor Resul Ekrem Şahan, Reform Institute President Mehmet Ali Çalışkan, Şişli Deputy Mayor Ebru Özdemir, Spectrum House polling company owner Azad Barış, and an employee identified as H.A.

First statement from İmamoğlu

İmamoğlu made a brief video statement at his home before being taken into custody by police. Adjusting his tie as he spoke, he shared the video with the caption "A coup is being carried out against the will of the people."

"With great regret, I must say that a handful of people trying to seize the will of our nation have gathered hundreds of police officers at the doorstep of 16 million Istanbulites, using my beloved police officers and this country’s security forces as tools for this wrongdoing.

"We are facing tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not waver. I love you all dearly. I entrust myself to my people. Let my entire nation know that I will stand tall. I will continue to fight against that person and the mindset that uses this entire process as a tool."

Millet iradesine darbe vuruluyor. pic.twitter.com/waXHu23ZVN

— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) March 19, 2025

In a separate statement on his English X account, İmamoğlu wrote, "The will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts. I stand resolute, entrusting myself not only to the 16 million residents of Istanbul but to the 86 million citizens of Türkiye and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide. I stand firm in my fight for the fundamental rights and freedoms."

İstanbul governor issues demonstration ban

As the raids were going on across the city, the İstanbul Governor's Office banned all public gatherings and demonstrations between Mar 19 and 23. It cited "protecting public order" and "preventing potentially provocative actions" as the reason for the ban.

CHP leader: This is a coup attempt

CHP leader Özgür Özel joined a live broadcast on Halk TV, speaking about İmamoğlu’s detention and the upcoming party primary.

"I’m on my way to İstanbul. A four-day protest ban has been imposed, coinciding exactly with the day of CHP’s primary election. Ekrem İmamoğlu has defeated Tayyip Erdoğan four times. I am certain that İmamoğlu will win again," he said, referring to İmamoğlu's success in local elections.

"I don’t know what will happen to me now. I have parliamentary immunity, but who knows what else they might try. Whether Ekrem is inside or outside, whether we are alive or not, I, Mayor Ekrem, and Mayor Mansur, even if we were in our graves, we are calling on everyone to vote in the primary in four days. If this ballot box is not set up, there won’t be any ballot boxes left in Turkey. This is an attempted coup."

Access to social media restricted

Social media platforms and messaging apps have faced bandwith faced restrictions since the morning. While the platforms are not completely inaccessible, users have reported significantly reduced speeds.

Internet service providers including Turk Telekom, Turkcell, and Vodafone throttled bandwidth for X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and Signal, as confirmed by Netblocks, a platform monitoring internet censorship globally.

It remains unclear whether the restrictions were imposed through an official order.

⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show #Turkey has restricted access to multiple social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok; the incident comes as Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and dozens of others are detained in events described by the opposition as a "coup" pic.twitter.com/5ldegqQCH3

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) March 19, 2025

• Turkey restricts social media amid crackdown on İstanbul mayor

Sharp decline in Turkish lira, İstanbul stock exchange

Following the detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 100 others, the Turkish lira lost value against all major currencies, with the US dollar and euro reaching record highs.  

The currency turmoil also triggered a surge in gold prices, with the price of one gram of gold exceeding 4,000 liras for the first time in history.  

After the Central Bank’s intervention, gold prices gradually declined, dropping below 3,800 liras per gram.

The Borsa İstanbul stock exchange's BIST 100 index opened the day with a 6.87% decline, starting at 10,060.48 points. 

• Turkish lira tumbles as İmamoğlu's detention shakes markets

Who is Ekrem İmamoğlu?

Since he was elected the mayor of Turkey's largest city in 2019, İmamoğlu has been a central figure in Turkey's political landscape. Here is a brief introduction to his political caree:

• Profile: Ekrem İmamoğlu, İstanbul mayor and Erdoğan’s key rival sent behind bars 

Bahçeli calls for patience

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, the main ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, expressed confidence in "the independence and impartiality of Turkey’s judiciary," and strongly criticized those who labeled the crackdown as a "coupt attempt."

• MHP's Bahçeli calls for patience amid İmamoğlu crackdown

Kurdish politician labels crackdown 'coup amid peace talks'

Meral Danış-Beştaş, co-spokesperson of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), a pro-Kurdish group at the center of the "terrorism" investigation targeting İmamoğlu and others, spoke to bianet, saying, "Peace and a coup cannot coexist. On one hand, they talk about peace, and on the other, they revive the policies of appointing state trustees. How can these two things go together? We do not accept this. Our stance is firm, and we will not compromise."

• Pro-Kurdish group at center of İmamoğlu investigation slams ‘coup amid peace talks’

Justice minister dismisses calls for protests

"The judiciary does not take orders or instructions from anyone. Judicial rulings are binding for all, and there are no privileges before the law," Tunç asserted, criticizing public calls for protests and references to a "coup." 

• Turkish justice minister dismisses calls for protests amid İmamoğlu investigation

Protest in parliament

Members of the CHP protested the detentions in the parliament after a speech by MP Başarır, who said,  "Turkey's leading party has been subjected to a coup through appointed judges. While they try to bring down the CHP—which you can't— they are also damaging the Republic of Turkey and dragging the country’s reputation."

"No matter what you do, we will stand tall. We will not be afraid, we will not back down. All 86 million people in this country will resist. We are not just addressing our own voters; we are speaking to those who voted for the AKP, MHP, DEM, and İYİ Party. Your rights and your will are being taken away.

 "You will drown in your own oppression. The people will not forgive you. You have abandoned all democratic principles just to stay in power. Ekrem İmamoğlu may be a nightmare for you and for your leader, but for 86 million people, he is hope."

• İmamoğlu’s detention protested in parliament

CHP deputy says 'alliance is not a terror crime'

"The reason the urban consensus is being targeted is that the government lost İstanbul. They lost again, and this time by a significant margin," MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu told bianet. "CHP formed an institutional alliance for the 2024 local elections. In İstanbul, it partnered with the DEM Party under the framework of the urban consensus, which was a political decision. The goal was to ensure representation for Kurds in areas where they are not the majority, particularly in metropolitan cities. Now, they are trying to criminalize this representation."

• İmamoğlu detention: 'Election alliance with Kurds is not a terror crime,' says MP

İmamoğlu's company seized

İmamoğlu was taken into custody in connection with two separate investigations involving allegations of terrorism and corruption. The confiscation of the company concerns the latter investigation, where prosecutors accuse him of “forming a criminal organization for personal gain.”

• İstanbul mayor’s construction company seized amid investigation

(VK)