In a significant escalation of judicial pressure, Turkish prosecutors have leveled new espionage charges against Ekrem Imamoglu, the incarcerated mayor of Istanbul and a prominent opposition figure widely regarded as a formidable challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The charges, filed on Monday, are linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged connections between Imamoglu’s political campaign and a businessman arrested in July for reportedly conducting intelligence operations on behalf of foreign governments. Imamoglu’s former campaign manager, Necati Ozkan, and journalist Merdan Yanardag have also been implicated in the case. According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Imamoglu, who is already in pretrial detention on corruption charges, is accused of unlawfully transferring personal data of Istanbul residents to secure international funding for his campaign. Imamoglu vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing them as ‘nonsense’ in a social media statement. ‘Even the claim that I burned down Rome would have been more credible than this nonsense,’ he remarked, vowing to intensify his resistance against what he described as a systemic effort to undermine Turkey’s future. The charges have further fueled accusations of a broader crackdown on opposition figures, particularly following the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) significant gains in last year’s local elections. Imamoglu’s arrest in March had already sparked nationwide protests, with critics viewing it as part of a concerted effort to stifle dissent. Erdogan’s government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and that the investigations are solely focused on combating corruption.
Turkish prosecutors file new espionage charges against Istanbul’s jailed mayor
