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A supporter of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) displays a poster featuring a photo of Istanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, during a protest near the Justice Palace on October 26, 2025. — Reuters
A Turkish court has issued another arrest warrant for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently in custody on suspicions of “political espionage,” according to state-run Anadolu news agency on Monday. This move marks an escalation in Turkey’s ongoing crackdown on opposition figures.
Imamoglu, a prominent rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, has been detained since March as he awaits trial on separate corruption allegations. In July, he was sentenced to additional jail time for insulting and threatening Istanbul’s chief prosecutor.
He firmly denies all allegations. In a court session on Sunday and through a prison statement on Friday, Imamoglu rejected the latest accusations. “Such slander, lies, and conspiracy wouldn’t even cross the devil’s mind!” he wrote on X. “We are witnessing a shameful act of indecency that defies words.”
Anadolu reports that an Istanbul court ordered Imamoglu’s arrest overnight along with two others, including Merdan Yanardag, editor-in-chief of the government-critical television channel Tele1. The channel was taken over by the state last Friday amid the espionage claims.
The newest charges allege Imamoglu engaged in corruption to fund his presidential bid and participated in espionage to garner international support, the agency states.
Many members and elected officials of Imamoglu’s main opposition, CHP, face numerous corruption-related charges amid what the party describes as a politicized and anti-democratic crackdown. The CHP denies these accusations, asserting they are politically motivated attempts by the government to weaken Erdogan’s electoral challengers. The government denies these claims.
However, the opposition scored a temporary relief last Friday when another court dismissed attempts to remove CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and nullify the party’s 2023 congress.
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