‘They will be held accountable,’ main opposition’s CHP reacts to Imamoglu’s arrest

Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), issued its first public responses after Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested by a magistrate court in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation targeting IBB.

Mansur Yavas: ‘We are ashamed on behalf of the justice system’

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas condemned the arrest, criticizing the legal process and the treatment of the investigation’s confidentiality.

“We waited until 6:30 a.m. The delay and the need to head out to vote made us stay up all night. We just received the news. We are ashamed on behalf of our justice system,” Yavas said.

“We saw during the trial that although the concept of confidentiality applies to the investigation, the statement was practically leaked to the entire country five minutes later. All the accusations were made public. These should have been kept confidential.”

Yavas also criticized the difficulty in accessing case details: “Some of the accusations were broadcast on TV before lawyers could even see them. This reveals the political nature of the process. Blocking Imamoglu is shameful for our country. The world has already started questioning democracy and the legal system in Türkiye. This has turned into greater poverty for us. This is an act of malice. Foreign investment has already started to leave.”

“There is no indictment, only accusations based on secret witness claims. Can you even ask such a question: ‘You seem to have spoken often with this individual’… Some of it is offensive—like asking, ‘Does anyone in your family have links to terrorism?’ You’d know if they did! What kind of question is that?”

“This country must be freed from revenge-driven law. We need a judiciary that behaves impartially.”

Sezgin Tanrikulu: ‘This is not law, not justice — it’s a political coup’

CHP Diyarbakir MP Sezgin Tanrikulu reacted by calling the arrest a political move.

“This is not law, not justice — it’s a political coup,” he said. “As a result, our presidential candidate has been arrested. No words are enough. I am extremely angry. This is no way to issue a verdict.”

“I read the statements. You don’t ask such questions to the mayor of a city of 16 million people. People should be ashamed — it’s a disgrace to justice. This level of unseriousness is unacceptable.”

“There have been power centers in the past that faced operations like this. What happened to them? Where are the ones responsible now? Prosecutors and judges with authority from us are abusing their powers.”

Ali Mahir Basarir: ‘They will be held accountable’

CHP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Basarir expressed his anger over the ruling.

“They will be held accountable. They won’t ruin the future of these kids. The decision came as we were voting. Yesterday, no live broadcasts were allowed in this country. TV channels were blacked out, politicians were arrested. Even Kenan Evren didn’t do this. They will be held accountable.”

CHP leadership: ‘A political arrest’

CHP General Secretary Selin Sayek Boke said, “This arrest is clearly political. We will continue to strengthen democracy against this coup.”

CHP Deputy Chair Gul Ciftci added: “Right now, in Caglayan, a dark stain is being cast on Türkiye’s democracy.”