Turkiye: Istanbul Mayor suspended amid rising tensions

Shafaq News/ Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is under suspension, following a court ruling for his detention, amid ongoing investigations into corruption allegations, the Turkish Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday.

In an official statement, the ministry revealed that İmamoğlu faces multiple charges, including the illegal recording of personal data, bribery, manipulation of public tenders, and the creation of an organization to commit crimes.

Earlier, İmamoğlu, who has long been a prominent opposition figure, called for nationwide protests against his detention, which he described as part of a trial connected to corruption investigations.

Through a post on the X, he condemned the legal proceedings as "an outright execution outside the legal framework," and declared that it amounted to a "betrayal of Turkiye."

Since his arrest on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Turkish citizens have taken to the streets in protest.

İmamoğlu, a key political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential elections, has been gaining traction in public opinion polls, at times leading Erdoğan in some surveys.

The mayor appeared in a Turkish court on Saturday, marking his first public appearance since his arrest earlier in the week, facing charges of corruption and terrorism-related offenses.