 in response to his arrest.){kind=link}
İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has urged citizens to participate in a boycott of businesses and media organizations linked to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in response to his arrest.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was arrested March 23 on corruption charges that many say are politically motivated. His detention has sparked widespread protests unseen in the country since 2013 and has intensified tensions.
The boycott campaign was initially launched by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel during a demonstration outside İstanbul City Hall a day after İmamoğlu’s arrest. Özel named nearly two dozen brands, including popular bookstores and coffee chains, and urged people to cancel subscriptions and support independent businesses instead.
İmamoğlu expressed support for the boycott in a post on his X account, which is managed by his lawyers.
“I support our party leader Özgür Özel’s call for a boycott and urge millions of citizens to join this movement with discipline and dedication,” he wrote. “This boycott is not about destroying businesses or the media but about freeing them from their chains and restoring their independence.”
He accused pro-government businesses of serving the interests of an “oppressive and undemocratic” administration and called on them to take a stand.
“It is time for the media and business community to make a choice: Either continue under the control of one man and face the consequences of this boycott, or stand with the people,” İmamoğlu said.
The boycott campaign has gained significant traction online, with social media users sharing extended lists of pro-government brands and encouraging economic action against them.
Erdoğan and his government have denounced the campaign, accusing the opposition of attempting to destabilize the Turkish economy.
“Anyone who tries to sabotage the Turkish economy will be held accountable in a court of law,” Erdoğan warned last week, suggesting legal consequences for those joining the boycott.
AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik criticized the campaign as “political bullying,” accusing Özel of acting like an aggressor rather than a statesman. He claimed that the CHP should focus on addressing allegations of corruption instead of attacking national businesses.
Economic boycott on April 2
Meanwhile, university students who are leading the protests against İmamoğlu’s arrest have decided to participate in a day-long economic boycott on Wednesday at the end of the three day Eid-al-Fitr holiday.
Among those calling for a boycott are students from a number of universities, from Middle East Technical University in Ankara to the Boğaziçi, Galatasaray and İstanbul universities in İstanbul.
İmamoğlu, who has defeated the AKP three times in İstanbul elections, is facing both corruption and terrorism-related charges in two investigations launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. More than 100 others are also implicated in the cases, which critics view as an attempt to sideline the mayor ahead of the next presidential election slated for 2028.
The CHP has been the target of an intensifying crackdown in recent months, resulting in the arrest and removal of six of its mayors in İstanbul, including İmamoğlu.