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October 27, 2025 – Turkey –
A Turkish court has issued a fresh arrest warrant and expanded espionage allegations against former İstanbul mayor and opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu, marking a significant intensification of legal action against him and associated figures.
The court’s move follows an investigation into the 2019 mayoral campaign of İmamoğlu, prompted by correspondence between a detained cybersecurity consultant and campaign staff. Prosecutors say the correspondence suggests efforts to collect and exploit personal data of Istanbul residents, ostensibly to secure foreign funding and intelligence support ahead of a potential presidential bid.
In addition to İmamoğlu himself, the warrant names journalist Merdan Yanardağ and former campaign manager Necati Özkan as suspects in the espionage probe, underscoring the broadening scope of the case.
İmamoğlu, who has been in detention since March on separate corruption charges, publicly rejected the latest accusations. He described them as baseless and politically driven, writing on social media that they amounted to slander and conspiracy.
Supporters of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have denounced the developments as part of a broader campaign to suppress political dissent. Protests broke out outside courts as the new case emerged, with many viewing the proceedings as an attempt to sideline a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of future elections.
Governmentaligned agencies maintain that the judiciary is acting independently and that the charges against İmamoğlu and others are rooted in legitimate allegations of corruption and illegal intelligence sharing rather than political motives.
With the expanded espionage case, concerns are mounting among observers of Turkey’s democratic trajectory and media freedom environment. The inclusion of a journalist among those charged raises particular alarm about press freedom and the shrinking space for independent voices in the country.
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