Turkish gov’t denies opposition claim it sought US approval for İstanbul mayor’s arrest

Turkey’s justice minister has rejected claims made by main opposition leader Özgür Özel that the government sought approval from the United States for the recent arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, calling the accusation “nonsense,” the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç was responding Monday to remarks made by Özel, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), following his re-election as the party’s chairman at a party convention in Ankara on Sunday.

Özel labeled President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government as “a junta” and claimed it “got permission from across the ocean” for the arrest of İmamoğlu.

“Tell us to our faces — did you get permission from the US for the political coup you are trying to stage against your rival?” he asked Erdoğan.

İmamoğlu, widely viewed as Erdoğan’s strongest political opponent, was arrested on corruption charges on March 23 that many see as politically motivated. His detention has sparked the largest protests in Turkey since 2013.

When asked about the allegation during a press conference on Monday, Tunç dismissed Özel’s claim as baseless.

“That is an absurd allegation. Is the judiciary supposed to take instructions from the US? Of course not,” he said. “We know very well who is actually seeking permission from foreign powers and complaining about Turkey abroad. Perhaps Mr. Özel is projecting.”

Tunç also accused Özel of attempting to undermine the judiciary and reiterated that Turkey’s legal system operates independently.

“Our judiciary does not take orders — not from inside the country, not from abroad, and certainly not from foreign governments,” he said. “These kinds of claims are not only irrational, they reveal more about the mindset of those making them.”

“The judiciary in Turkey is independent and impartial,” Tunç said. “It makes decisions based on evidence, and all legal proceedings are subject to full judicial review within our country.”

Erdoğan has recently enjoyed a warm relationship with US President Donald Trump, who publicly praised the Turkish president on several occasions.

İmamoğlu’s detention on March 19 came shortly after Erdoğan had a phone conversation with Trump.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, recently claimed that it was no “coincidence” that the “decision to throw the opposition leader in jail was made right after a phone call with Donald Trump — likely endorsed and greenlit by Donald Trump.”

“So I think that is the story here,” he said.

İmamoğlu’s lawyers appeal pretrial detention, deny flight risk

Lawyers representing İmamoğlu have filed an appeal against his pretrial detention, arguing that the justification for holding him — a supposed flight risk — is unfounded.

The appeal was submitted to İstanbul’s 10th Criminal Court of Peace on Monday. In their petition the lawyers said the claim İmamoğlu might flee is entirely baseless.

They recalled that the mayor represents 16 million people in İstanbul and is one of the strongest potential candidates for the presidency of the country in the next election.

They reiterated the opposition’s claim that the investigation into İmamoğlu is being conducted due to political motivations and is overseen by judges and prosecutors who have “lost their independence and impartiality.”

İmamoğlu was re-elected the mayor of İstanbul in the March 2024 local elections by winning 51.1 percent of the vote against his closest rival from the ruling party, who garnered 39.6 percent.