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Opposition figure faces mass corruption trial in Turkey
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the former mayor of Istanbul, will stand trial on Monday as the central defendant in a case his party and rights groups call politically driven. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to 2,430 years.
Charges and political context
İmamoğlu, 55, faces over 140 charges, including corruption and leading a criminal organization. He and his Republican People's Party (CHP) deny all allegations, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his allies of orchestrating a crackdown amid declining popularity.
Once seen as a potential challenger to Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics since 2003, İmamoğlu was arrested in March 2025 after being named CHP leader and the party's presidential candidate for 2028. He has remained in detention at the Marmara prison complex, where the trial will take place.
Protests and broader crackdown
His arrest sparked the largest street demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade, followed by a police crackdown and hundreds of additional arrests. Prosecutors have also charged 407 of İmamoğlu's supporters, alleging they formed a criminal network under his leadership.
Additional allegations and legal concerns
Beyond corruption, İmamoğlu faces accusations of espionage and forging his university degree-a credential required for presidential eligibility, which authorities later annulled. Turkish officials deny politicizing the judiciary, but rights groups dispute this claim.
"The trial of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu follows more than a year of weaponizing the criminal justice system against his party and other CHP elected officials while he sits in jail. Looking at these cases as a whole, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that prosecutors are trying to remove İmamoğlu from politics and discredit his party in ways that undermine democracy."
Benjamin Ward, Deputy Europe and Central Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
"This politically motivated prosecution, based almost entirely on secret witness testimony, is riddled with serious international fair trial and rule of law issues."
Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe
Government response and electoral history
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, who previously led the investigation into İmamoğlu, defended the proceedings, stating, "I simply did my duty as a public prosecutor. My conscience is clear."
İmamoğlu first won Istanbul's mayoral election in 2019 and was re-elected in April 2024, defeating the ruling AK Party candidate by nearly a million votes. His victories were widely seen as a major setback for Erdoğan, with analysts calling the 2019 result the president's "worst defeat ever."
What's next
The trial begins on Monday (09:00 local time) at Marmara prison. İmamoğlu's legal team has called on Erdoğan to call early elections, framing the case as an attempt to silence opposition ahead of the 2028 vote.
