Turkey’s Opposition Faces Intensified Crackdown as İmamoğlu Trial and Mass Detentions Shake Political Landscape
Turkey’s political opposition is facing mounting legal pressure as the high-profile trial of former Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu coincides with a sweeping corruption probe targeting the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
On September 12, İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest rival, appeared in court at Silivri high-security prison on charges of falsifying his university degree. Prosecutors accuse him of misrepresenting his educational credentials, which could result in up to eight years and nine months in prison and disqualification from future elections, where a valid university degree is a constitutional requirement. İmamoğlu, who has been in detention since March, dismissed the case as politically motivated, declaring: “This indictment was not written by a prosecutor but by someone who knew they would lose the next election.”
Just a day later, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported that prosecutors ordered the detention of 48 suspects, including Bayrampasa’s CHP mayor Hasan Mutlu, in a corruption investigation involving allegations of embezzlement, bribery, and tender rigging. Police raided 72 locations across Istanbul in the early morning to seize documents and detain suspects. Mutlu denied wrongdoing, calling the probe “a political operation based on unfounded slander” in a post on X.
The arrests mark the latest step in a nearly year-long crackdown on CHP-run municipalities, during which hundreds of opposition figures have been jailed. Analysts say the pressure reflects growing government efforts to weaken the CHP ahead of elections. A key court ruling expected Monday on the future of the party’s national leader could further escalate tensions.
Observers warn that these parallel legal battles highlight Turkey’s fragile democratic institutions and deepen concerns over judicial independence, with critics describing the moves as part of a broader strategy to consolidate centralized power under Erdoğan’s rule.
