By: Julia Valencia

People Editor

Just days before he was going to be named one of the top candidates for the upcoming presidential election, Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested by Turkish police in his home in the early hours of the morning.

On Mar. 19, Imamoglu was taken into Turkish custody, along with some of his close aides, and was accused of leading a criminal organization. Some are calling it a politically motivated act, as it is widely suspected that the Turkish Parliament is going to call for an early election, even though the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Justice and Development Party, is technically in power until 2028. 

President Erdogan is currently in his second of two terms that presidents are allowed in Turkey. However, if an early election were to occur in Turkey, President Erdogan would be eligible to run again as his second term was not completed. Though President Erdogan and his political party have not yet produced a candidate that they intend to nominate, Erdogan has been the predominant politician for the party for the past 20 years. So, it is assumed that he will be who the party nominates, as he has no obvious predecessor.  

Video footage released by Imamoglu’s team shows him in his closet, getting ready for the arrest. In the video, Imamoglu says, “We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged.” President Erdogan has been suspected of using government institutions to undermine his political opponents in the past, something that Imamoglu’s lawyers pointed out. Prosecutors say that Imamoglu engaged in bribery, fraud, money laundering, personal enrichment, and bid rigging. He is also facing charges of helping a terrorist organization that is linked to his coordination from last year’s municipal elections. Imamoglu beat a candidate who had full support from President Erdogan. His arrest is following multiple previous charges, dating back to 2022, where he was reprimanded for insulting the judges from the Supreme Electoral Council, the group that oversees elections. 

Imamoglu has not yet been charged with anything, but he will likely stay in Turkish custody until authorities pursue their investigation. In light of his arrest, Istanbul’s governor, appointed by President Erdogan, banned any public demonstrations in the city for four days, hoping to limit protests about Imamoglu’s arrest. This helped but did not fully stop protestors from taking to the streets, and by mid-afternoon, small-scale protests emerged in plazas and streets around Istanbul. Additionally, Turkey has allegedly restricted social media platforms, like Instagram, TikTok, and X, for all citizens, until further notice, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitor.

(Sources: AP News, CBS, NY Times)