Four former speakers of Turkey’s parliament have issued a joint statement calling for the release of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the opposition’s presidential candidate who was arrested in March on corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated, the Birgün daily reported.
Hikmet Çetin, Hüsamettin Cindoruk, Cahit Karakaş and Mustafa Kalemli said in the statement that İmamoğlu should be tried without pretrial detention and criticized the use of the judiciary as a political weapon against dissent.
“The most glaring example of the government’s unlawful actions against opposition figures, both through the use of executive power and a judiciary that has lost its independence and impartiality, is the case of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu,” their statement read.
İmamoğlu, a politician from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who was re-elected İstanbul mayor last year and is considered one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most powerful rivals, was detained on March 19 and formally arrested on March 23. His detention triggered nationwide protests, the largest seen in Turkey since the 2013 Gezi Park demonstrations.
The former speakers said that pretrial detention should be used only in exceptional cases, not as a form of punishment.
“İmamoğlu is a prominent public figure, known both nationally and internationally, with a fixed residence and official duties. The claim that he poses a flight risk is implausible,” they wrote.
İstanbul courts have so far rejected objections filed by İmamoğlu’s lawyers against his pretrial detention due to flight risk.
The statement talked about the importance of judicial independence and equal application of the law, citing Turkey’s constitution, which defines the country as a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law.
“In a system where the judiciary is not independent, justice and the rule of law become impossible. Court decisions are then made not by judges but by those who control them,” it said.
The former speakers also denounced İmamoğlu’s arrest as being based on vague allegations and anonymous witnesses of questionable credibility.
“In modern legal systems, including ours, pretrial detention is a precautionary measure, not a punishment. It requires strong suspicion backed by concrete evidence and the risk of flight,” the statement continued. “We call on the government to uphold the rule of law, ensure equal justice and end the use of pretrial detention as a tool of political suppression.”
İmamoğlu faces multiple investigations and had already been sentenced to more than two years in prison and barred from politics in December 2022 for allegedly insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK). The mayor has appealed his sentence, which is still pending.
There are claims that Erdoğan wants to sideline İmamoğlu if he tries to seek another term as president.
Dissent within ruling AKP
According to a report in the Cumhuriyet daily, the backlash over İmamoğlu’s arrest has sparked internal debate within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
CHP lawmaker Umut Akdoğan recently claimed that 16 AKP lawmakers held a meeting to express their discomfort with the investigation targeting İmamoğlu and the broader opposition. While AKP insiders denied the meeting took place, they acknowledged that criticism of the operation has been voiced at the highest level of the party.
AKP sources reportedly expressed concern that the crackdown on the opposition is backfiring, damaging both foreign relations and the economy.
The mayor’s arrest triggered a roughly 12 percent drop in the Turkish lira against major currencies, prompting the central bank to sell nearly $50 billion in foreign reserves to slow the currency’s slide.
Senior AKP figures also reportedly warned that turning İmamoğlu into a political “martyr” is increasing his popularity and risks further eroding the party’s support.