An arrest warrant for the imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was issued by a Turkish court on charges of “political espionage,” the Anadolu news agency reported today. It should be noted that Imamoglu, the biggest political opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in prison since March awaiting trial on “corruption” charges. In July, he was handed a new prison sentence for insults and threats against Istanbul’s prosecutor. Imamoglu denies all charges.
Read: Turkey: Police operation at opposition television network Tele1 – Director arrested (Video)
Imamoglu: The charges against him
This new “espionage” investigation also targets Imamoglu’s 2019 and 2024 campaign director Necati Ozkan and Tele1 network director Merdan Yanardag. As part of this investigation, Imamoglu is accused of fraud during fundraising for his presidential campaign and espionage aimed at securing international support, the Turkish news agency noted.
As reported by Anadolu, an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant overnight against Imamoglu as well as two others, including Yanardag. On Friday, the Turkish government took control of Tele1, citing espionage charges.
Hundreds of officials and elected members of Imamoglu’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) are in prison following a series of prosecutions with corruption as the main charge. The CHP denies these charges, characterizing them as an attempt by the government to remove Erdogan’s political opponents and weaken the party.
