Erdoğan critic Ekrem İmamoğlu sentenced amid opposition crackdown

The court acquitted İmamoğlu of a separate charge of “inciting others to attack the prosecutor.” As Bloomberg noted, the opposition mayor has become the highest-profile target in a broadening crackdown on Türkiye’s opposition. He currently faces multiple charges ranging from corruption to insulting public officials.

İmamoğlu was initially detained on March 19 on accusations of links to both corruption and terrorism. Prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for about 100 people in the same case, including prominent businessmen and journalists.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to the arrest of his political rival on March 21, saying: “The problems of the Republican People’s Party are not the problems of the country or the nation — they’re the problems of a handful of dissenters in their headquarters.”

On March 23, a Turkish court ruled to keep İmamoğlu in pre-trial detention. During questioning, he denied all charges and rejected testimony from anonymous witnesses.

Following his arrest, İmamoğlu called on citizens to protest nationwide, saying the legal proceedings against him amounted to a “judicial execution.”