Arrests of Several Family Members of Istanbul's Imprisoned Mayor Spread Widely in Turkey
In a chilling turn of events, over 40 close associates and supporters of Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, were snatched up in a controversial corruption investigation on April 26. The mayor, a formidable adversary of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was herself imprisoned at the end of March.
Ekrem's Arrest and AccusationsThis arrest, said to be a result of corruption among other charges, brought about his detention on March 25. Following his arrest, he was to be designated as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) presidential candidate for the 2028 election.
The ArrestedAmong those seized in the early morning raids were the mayor's chief of staff, Kadriye Kasapoglu, the brother of his wife Dilek İmamoğlu, the head of the water administration, and ex-municipal officials. This list, as per Turkish media reports, is not exhaustive, as raids on the homes of those involved in Istanbul, Ankara, and Tekirdağ were still ongoing.
** protests against President Erdoğan spread to high schools**
A Controversial Infrastructure Project
The arrests have sparked widespread suspicion, with CHP officials in Istanbul linking them to the municipality's stand against the politically charged "Kanal Istanbul" project. This ambitious project seeks to alleviate the congestion on the Bosphorus by constructing an additional maritime route connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
Critics relentlessly assail this project as it poses a threat to local wildlife and farming communities due to the possible encroachment of natural and agricultural land. Moreover, the Kanal Istanbul project risks altering the city's water retention basin, potentially impacting Istanbul's water supply.
Relaunching the Project?At a rally in Mersin, the CHP's leader Özgür Özel accused the government of reinstating the project after the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu. The Turkish government, however, vehemently denied these claims, citing the corruption investigation opened on March 19 against the mayor.
The Cost of Opposition"Today's operation is not a coincidence,” asserted Istanbul's CHP head Özgür Çelik, explaining that municipal employees opposing the project had been ordered to halt construction sites along the canal's route. "The price the minority government is making our country pay is getting heavier every day," alleges Çelik.
Implications for the CHP and the Future of IstanbulThe vice-president of the CHP group in Parliament, Gökhan Günaydin, asserts that the real reason for these arrests is the Istanbul Canal. In his view, the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul has effectively been left crippled without most of its officials.
From his cell, Ekrem İmamoğlu decried the arrests and accused a small group of ambitious individuals of building empty, lie-filled files against him. He has long been an outspoken opponent of the project, claiming that the land bordering the future canal has been allocated to supporters of the Turkish president, citing it as a construction and real estate scheme driven by a lust for money.
- The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul's opposition mayor, added fuel to the ongoing controversy, as he was accused of corruption among other charges on March 25.
- Following the controversial arrest, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's supporters continued to be targeted, as given authorities arrested several municipal officials, including the mayor's chief of staff and his brother-in-law, during early morning raids.
- The arrests and subsequent investigation have raised questions about the role of politics and war-and-conflicts in the ongoing events, with many linking the mayor's detention to his opposition to the Kanal Istanbul project.
- Protests against President Erdoğan have expanded beyond the general-news sphere, even reaching high schools, as students march in solidarity with Mayor İmamoğlu.
- The cost of opposing President Erdoğan is increasingly evident, as Istanbul's CHP head Özgür Çelik alleges that those opposing the Kanal Istanbul project are being targeted and silenced, with the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul left crippled after the arrests of most of its officials.
