The orders of the Turkish court of Erdogan imprisoned pending the trial for corruption of corruption accusations

Istanbul (AP) A court officially arrested the mayor of Istanbul, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday and ordered him to imprison while waiting for a trial for corruption.

Mayor Ekrem Imamogluwas was detained following a raid in his residence earlier this week, triggering the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade. He also deepened concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Türkiye.

Find out more: The Turkish police stop is the mayor of Istanbul, an Erdogan rival, while the repression of the opposition increases

His imprisonment is widely considered as a political decision to withdraw a major competitor from the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028.

The prosecutor's office said the court decided to imprison the imamoglu suspected of having managed a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, illegally recording personal data and style the auctions. A request for him to be imprisoned for accusations related to terrorism has been rejected although he is still faced with prosecution. Following the court decision, Imamoglu was transferred to Silivri prison, west of Istanbul.

The Interior Ministry later announced that Imamoglu had been suspended from its functions as a temporary measure. The municipality had already appointed an acting mayor of its board of directors.

Alongside Imamoglu, 47 other people were also imprisoned while waiting for the trial, including a key assistant and two district mayors of Istanbul, one of which was replaced by one named by the government. 44 other suspects were released under judicial supervision.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Sunday that 323 people were arrested the day before for disturbances during demonstrations.

Large peaceful demonstrations across Turkey have seen hundreds of thousands of people in support of the Imamoglu. However, there have been violence, the police deploying water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and pulling plastic pellets on demonstrators in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, some of which launched stones, fireworks and other missiles in the riot police.

A primary to approve imamoglu and solidarity soil ballots ”

The official arrest came while more than 1.5 million members of the Party of the Republican Peoples of the Opposition, or CHP, began to organize a primary presidential election to approve Imamoglu, the only candidate.

The party has also implemented symbolic urns nationally to allow people who are not party members to express their support for the mayor. Large crowds gathered early Sunday to vote a solidarity form.

It is no longer just a problem of the party of the Republican peoples, but a problem of Turkish democracy, Fusun Erben, 69, said in a polling station in the district of Istanbuls Kadikoy. We do not accept our rights so easily usurped. We will fight until the end.

Speaking in a polling station in Bodrum, in western Turkey, engineer Mehmet Dayanc, 38, said that he feared that, ultimately, that is Russia, a country without opposition, where only one man participates in the elections.

In a message published on social networks, Imamoglu called on people to show their struggle for democracy and justice worldwide during the ballot boxes. He warned Erdogan that he would be defeated by our justice, our courage, our humility, our smiling face.

National and international supporters slam the action of the Court

Honestly, we are embarrassed by the name of our legal system, the mayor of Ankara Mansur Yavas, another member of Imamoglus CHP, told journalists after having voted, criticizing the lack of confidentiality in the procedure.

The chief of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, said that the imprisonment of the Imamoglus recalled the methods of Italian mafia. Speaking at the town hall of Istanbul, he added: Imamoglu is on the one hand in prison and on the other hand on the way to the presidency.

The Council of Europe, which focuses on the promotion of human rights and democracy, criticized the decision and asked for the immediate release of Imamoglu.

The German government has described the mayor's imprisonment a serious setback for democracy in Türkiye, “adding that political competition should not be carried out with courts and prisons.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish research program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of a biography of Erdogan, said that the president was determined to do everything it takes to end the career of Imamoglus.

Imamoglu's long history of criminal affairs

Before his detention, Imamoglu had already faced several criminal cases which could cause prison terms and a political ban. He also called on a conviction in 2022 for insulting members of the Supreme Turkeys Electoral Council.

Earlier in the week, a university reduced its diploma, citing alleged irregularities in its transfer from a private university in the north of Cyprus about 30 years ago. The decision effectively prevents him from presenting himself to the presidency, because the position requires that the candidates be university graduates. Imamoglu had promised to challenge the decision.

Imamoglu was elected mayor of the largest cities of Turkeys in March 2019, in a major blow to Erdogan and the Party of Justice and Development of Presidents, who had checked Istanbul for a quarter of a century. The Erdogan party prompted to cancel the results of the municipal elections in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge led to a rehearsal of the elections a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.

The mayor retained his headquarters following local elections last year, during which the CHP produced important gains against the power party of Erdogans.

The writer Associated Press Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.