Court orders Imamoglu, a key rival to President Erdogan, jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges.
A Turkish court has formally placed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu under arrest pending trial on corruption charges, days after his detention triggered mass protests across the country.
The court said on Sunday that Imamoglu and at least 20 others were jailed as part of a corruption investigation. The court in Istanbul did not press ‘terror’ charges against the 53-year-old jailed mayor.
“Although there is strong suspicion of aiding an armed terrorist organisation, since it has already been decided that he will be arrested for financial crimes, (his arrest) is not deemed necessary at this stage,” it said.
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said several others who were also charged were ordered released pending trial.
Since ‘terror’ charges were not slapped on Imamoglu, the court won’t be able to appoint a government trustee to the municipality of Istanbul, the country’s largest city. The mayor will be elected from within the municipal council, Koseoglu said.
“It is good news for the main opposition party [Republican People’s Party (CHP)], which controls a majority in the municipal council,” she said.
‘Not bow down’
In his first response after the court ruling, Imamoglu said that he will not bow down.
“We will, hand in hand, uproot this blow, this black stain on our democracy… I am standing tall, I will not bow down,” the Istanbul mayor said in a post on X.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters that the party will file legal appeals against the court ruling. He said that the Istanbul municipality council would now elect someone to work as acting mayor while they await a ruling on Imamoglu.
The mayor, a key opposition figure and potential challenger to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday by the government over alleged corruption and terrorism.
Imamoglu has denied all the charges, describing them as part of a “smear campaign”.
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, an ally of Imamoglu, told reporters that the jailing is a disgrace to the judicial system.
The court’s decision to send Imamoglu to pre-trial detention comes after the opposition, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticised the actions against him as politicised.
The government has denied the cases are politically motivated.
President Erdogan on Saturday accused the CHP’s leadership of turning the party “into an apparatus to absolve a handful of municipal robbers who have become blinded by money.”
He also accused it of “doing everything to disturb the public peace, to polarize the nation.”
Security measures tightened
Al Jazeera’s Koseoglu said that security measures have been tightened in Istanbul since Saturday evening, anticipating more protests on Sunday.
“Despite a protest ban, which was extended until March 26, demonstrations have been going on, including in Istanbul, Ankara and about 50 other cities last night.”
Police said at least 300,000 people protested in Istanbul on Saturday night. However, the opposition claimed the number was close to one million. Al Jazeera could not verify the number claimed by the opposition.
The court decision on Sunday also comes as the opposition CHP members and others head to polling stations for a primary election to choose a candidate for the next presidential election due in 2028.
Imamoglu is likely to be chosen as CHP’s candidate, but his plans to stand in the next election were hurt after Istanbul University annulled his diploma last week, citing irregularities with Council of Higher Education regulations. Under the Turkish Constitution, presidential candidates must have a higher education degree.
The CHP has called for non-party members to vote to boost public resistance following Imamoglu’s detention.
CHP, which has more than 1.5 million members, set up 5,600 ballot boxes for voting across all of Turkiye’s 81 provinces. Polls will close at 14:00 GMT.
