Early Wednesday morning, Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with about 100 others, including journalists and businesspeople, as part of a corruption investigation, according to the Sabah news website. Yesterday, Istanbul University revoked Imamoglu's academic degree, a move that could prevent him from running for president in the next elections.
According to reports in Turkish media, access to major social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram was blocked by authorities in the country's largest city, likely out of fear of mass protests. Large police forces were deployed along major boulevards in Istanbul, closing them off to traffic.
In the early morning hours, Imamoglu's communications advisor, Murat Ongun, wrote in a post on X that he had been arrested. Shortly after, Imamoglu himself posted that hundreds of police officers were outside his home, stating that he would not yield to pressure and would stand firm.
Millet iradesine darbe vuruluyor. pic.twitter.com/waXHu23ZVN
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) March 19, 2025
Imamoglu's advisor wrote on his X account: "I have been arrested. They think that by silencing us, they can prevent us from defending Ekrem Imamoglu and supporting him. I call on every citizen with a social media account: From this moment on, Ekrem Imamoglu is in the hands of the Turkish people. Protect him, defend him, support him! They cannot defeat the people. Everything will be beautiful."
CNN Türk aired live footage showing dozens of special forces police officers stationed near Imamoglu's home. According to reports, police are searching his residence as part of the investigation.
Yesterday, it was reported that Turkish authorities had revoked Imamoglu's academic degree, a move aimed at preventing him from participating in the presidential elections as the candidate of the country's largest opposition party. The degree revocation came just days before he was set to be officially chosen as the opposition's candidate.
Imamoglu first won the Istanbul mayoral elections in 2019 after securing victory in two rounds of voting, the first of which was annulled by the election commission. The relatively young mayor, 54, managed to defeat Erdogan's close ally and lead the Republican People's Party (CHP) to a rare victory in Turkey's largest city.
