Alleged "political espionage" New trial against Erdogan opponent begins in Turkey
Another trial has begun in Turkey against former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is considered a political rival of incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
11.05.2026, 05:59
11.05.2026, 12:19
SDA
According to the state news agency Anadolu, the Istanbul public prosecutor's office is accusing the opposition politician and three other people of "political espionage". The defendants are facing prison sentences of between 15 and 20 years. All four are currently in custody.
The indictment accuses Imamoglu, his election campaign advisor Necati Özkan, the businessman Hüseyin Gün and the journalist Merdan Yanardag of operating a criminal network and passing on data from Turkish citizens to foreign intelligence services. The aim behind this was to influence the 2019 election campaign, when Imamoglu was elected mayor of Istanbul for the first time by the largest opposition party CHP. Before that, Erdogan's AKP had ruled the city for a long time.
Opposition sees political motivation
The opposition considers this and other proceedings against Imamoglu to be politically motivated and sees them as an attempt to exclude a potential challenger to Erdogan from political competition. The government rejects this.
The public prosecutor's office specifically accuses Imamoglu of having given instructions for data collection, the analyses of which are said to have been passed on to former CIA and Mossad employees. His campaign advisor Özkan is alleged to have collected confidential data via the city administration's portal and passed it on to the businessman Gün.
According to the indictment, Gün is considered the main contact to foreign secret services; he is also alleged to have organized disinformation campaigns to discredit the government and pave the way for Imamoglu to become CHP leader and president.
Numerous proceedings
The public prosecutor's office accuses Gün of paying Yanardag, the editor-in-chief of the opposition broadcaster Tele1, to secure media support. A receiver was appointed for Tele1 in October last year.
Imamoglu is accused in several trials. He was arrested in March 2025 on corruption charges and removed as mayor of Istanbul. He was also stripped of his university degree - a prerequisite for running for president. He faces a total of more than 2,000 years in prison.
Nevertheless, the CHP nominated Imamoglu as a candidate for the presidential election, which will take place regularly in 2028. The action against Imamoglu had triggered nationwide protests.
