President Erdoğan has facilitated the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was preparing to run as a candidate in the 2028 presidential elections.
Despite not holding a university degree himself, Erdoğan had previously annulled İmamoğlu’s diploma from Istanbul University, claiming he did not possess a valid degree.
As this situation unfolded, İmamoğlu and 105 others were detained in the early hours of the morning. İmamoğlu is being accused of leading an organised crime network.
In addition to İmamoğlu, many other mayors from Istanbul, along with dozens of individuals from his team, were also taken into custody. Among those detained are several journalists.
Seeking to make all decisions single-handedly and attempting to establish a one-man regime in the country, Erdoğan has thrown democracy and the legal system into disarray. The stock market has collapsed, and the currency has reached record highs.
Following İmamoğlu’s detention, a four-day protest ban was imposed in Istanbul. However, defying this ban, people took to the streets in various districts, led by students from Istanbul University.
CHP leader Özgür Özel described the detentions as a coup and declared that they would not bow to Erdoğan’s attacks.
Apart from Erdoğan’s far-right nationalist coalition partner, the MHP, almost all opposition parties have expressed their support for İmamoğlu and condemned the dawn arrests.
According to public opinion polls, Erdoğan is set to lose the next election. By orchestrating these detentions with fabricated accusations, Erdoğan—who is reluctant to relinquish the presidency—aims to eliminate one of his biggest rivals, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Several political parties, including the Labour Party (Emek Partisi) and the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP), have called for resistance against the one-man regime.
Facing increasing pressure both domestically and internationally, and losing public support, Erdoğan has taken a harsher stance against his opponents, effectively bringing the judiciary under his control.
Erdoğan has also faced criticism from various countries. It remains uncertain whether he will continue to receive support from Western nations. According to opposition circles in Türkiye, if the West backs Erdoğan despite his crackdown on the opposition, it would be tantamount to openly supporting a dictator.
For the past six months, peace talks have been ongoing with the Kurdish movement. However, Erdoğan’s simultaneous crackdown on the opposition raises doubts about his sincerity in these negotiations.
In the last six months alone, hundreds of workers, dozens of trade unionists, journalists, and thousands of politicians have been detained, with many imprisoned.
Currently, Türkiye’s prisons hold approximately 400,000 people—nearly double their official capacity. As Erdoğan plans to detain and imprison thousands more, 25 additional prisons are currently under construction.
With these latest crackdowns, Erdoğan is seen as gradually constructing his own dictatorship.
The people of Türkiye need solidarity. There is an urgent need to strengthen international support against Erdoğan’s oppressive regime.
