Jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has condemned recent searches of the summer homes of his wife and father as politically motivated harassment, calling on the government to “stop targeting” his family.
The searches took place this week at the summer residences of İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, and his father, Hasan İmamoğlu, in the western holiday resort of Bodrum and the western province of Balıkesir, according to media reports.
There was no official statement about the reason for the searches.
İmamoğlu, who has been jailed in Marmara Prison — widely known as Silivri Prison — in İstanbul since March 23 described the searches as “an open act of intimidation” and a “political show,” claiming that the gendarmerie broke locks during the raids rather than notifying family members in advance.
“This is not just illegal — it is a disgrace our history has never seen,” İmamoğlu said in a Wednesday post on his X account, which is managed by his legal team. “If there is even a shred of conscience left, stop this harassment of my family.”
Ailemizi taciz etmeyi bırakın.
Haber verildiğinde ev sahipleri eşliğinde arama yapılabilecek evlerimize jandarma eşliğinde gidilerek, kilitler kırılarak aramalar yapılıyor. Bu şovlar siyasete, medyaya malzeme vermek dışında hiçbir amaç taşımıyor.
Buradan bunu yapan akla…
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) April 9, 2025
The jailed mayor accused the government of weaponizing law enforcement for political theater and said the attacks on his family “trample on our values, beliefs and the sanctity of family.”
“They raided my father’s house — I want the world to know,” İmamoğlu said. “I learned to be honorable from my father, Hasan İmamoğlu. Everyone in Trabzon [İmamoğlu’s hometown on the Black Sea] knows him.”
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel told the Cumhuriyet daily that the law enforcement attempted to conduct the searches without legal counsel present until lawyers from the party arrived at the scene.
“They were about to open the doors with locksmiths and search the homes without lawyers,” Özel said.
The law enforcement officials reportedly found $690, €10 and a few bullets registered to a licensed firearm during the searches. Özel said rumors had circulated suggesting large caches of weapons or hidden safes would be discovered — claims that proved baseless.
İmamoğlu, seen as the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been in pretrial detention since March 23 on corruption charges widely considered politically motivated. His arrest sparked widespread protests and international condemnation.