Police arrest Istanbul mayor and key Erdoğan rival amid crackdown

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Police arrest Istanbul mayor and key Erdoğan rival amid crackdown  The government's move to detain Ekrem İmamoğlu comes 24 hours after his university diploma was revoked.   READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/19/police-arrest-istanbul-mayor-and-key-erdogan-rival-amid-crackdown  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Turkish police have arrested Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a key rival of President

00:07Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a sweeping crackdown on opposition figures.

00:11The Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office described Imamoglu as a criminal enterprise ringleader,

00:16detaining him alongside nearly 100 others, including his aides and election campaign

00:20managers.

00:21There is also a prominent opposition journalist among those who are detained.

00:25The move comes just days before Imamoglu's Republican People's Party, CHP, is due to

00:30hold presidential candidate elections with Imamoglu as the sole contender.

00:35Adding to the pressure, Istanbul University annulled his degree on Tuesday, potentially

00:39disqualifying him from running for president if the decision stands.

00:44The wider operation targeted MedyaCorp, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality,

00:49and those involved in the SITI consensus, which is an agreement between Imamoglu's

00:53CHP and the pro-Kurdish Dem Party to back shared candidates in municipal polls.

01:01Imamoglu is accused of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, designated

01:06a terrorist group by Turkey and its allies.

01:08He and his associates also face corruption charges, including allegations of bribery

01:12and using municipal subsidiaries for financial gain.

01:16During the detention of Imamoglu, some critical roads and metro stations were blocked by police

01:20and access to social media platforms was restricted, as the governor imposed a ban on gatherings

01:25and demonstrations.

01:27Critics say the arrests stem from significant losses suffered by Erdogan's ruling party

01:31in the last year's local elections and that the latest development is a civil coup to

01:35the will of the electorate.

01:37Government officials, on the other hand, insist the courts act independently.

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