Judicial officials in Turkey on Monday rejected an appeal seeking the release of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu from jail pending the outcome of his corruption trial, the country’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure and a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule, was detained on 19 March and formally jailed on corruption and terrorism charges four days later. That triggered the biggest protests in Turkey in more than a decade, with nearly 2,000 people detained for taking part.
The arrest of Imamoglu is widely considered as politically motivated ahead of presidential elections, which currently are set for 2028 but could take place earlier.
The Turkish government has maintained that the judiciary operates independently and without political interference.
On Monday, the Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance ruled to reject the appeals made by Imamoglu’s lawyers, deciding that his detention would continue, Anadolu reported.
Lawyers representing the mayor had argued that the investigation into Imamoglu was conducted in violation of legal norms. They are expected to renew the appeals request.
The court also rejected appeals requests for Murat Ongun — the chairman of a media company affiliated with the Istanbul municipality and close Imamoglu aide — and other suspects who were arrested on corruption charges alongside the mayor.
Imamoglu was officially nominated as the presidential candidate for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) while in custody. Nearly 15 million people — of whom 13 million were non-party members voting in solidarity — backed Imamoglu as the party’s candidate in an internal vote held on 23 March, which was planned before his detention.
Before his recent detention, Imamoglu had already faced multiple criminal cases that could result in prison sentences and a political ban. He was also appealing a 2022 conviction for insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council.
Imamoglu was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. Erdogan’s party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.
The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which the CHP made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.
