Imprisonment: İmamoğlu following in Erdoğan’s footsteps?

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Istanbul mayor whose legal troubles have sparked mass protests, is currently seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main rival. In recent days, he has been at the center of global media attention. Many analysts have pointed out striking similarities between the political trajectories of the two men. While their ideologies differ, both have risen through the political ranks in comparable ways.  

Both Erdoğan and İmamoğlu hail from Turkey’s Black Sea region, received religious education, and were passionate footballers. Their political influence grew significantly while governing Istanbul. Interestingly, both have faced controversies surrounding their bachelor’s degrees. However, today, we will focus on another similarity—their arrests while serving as mayor.  

Erdoğan’s tenure as mayor  

In 1994, Erdoğan was elected as Istanbul’s first Islamist mayor. He immediately set out to address the city’s major issues. Under his leadership, hundreds of kilometers of new pipelines were installed to resolve Istanbul’s long-standing drinking water shortages. He also launched large-scale modern waste processing facilities. Inheriting a city with a $2 billion debt, Erdoğan later attracted $4 billion in investments.  

His reforms significantly boosted his political influence. By 1995, his party, "Refah" (Prosperity), won the largest number of seats in parliament. As a result, Necmettin Erbakan became Turkey’s first Islamist prime minister. Erbakan opposed Turkey’s Western-oriented policies and advocated for Muslim solidarity worldwide. However, Turkey’s military viewed Erbakan’s stance as a threat to secularism. At a National Security Council meeting on February 28, 1997, the government was pressured to implement secular policies. Key measures included mandatory eight-year continuous education, increased state oversight of religious schools, and stricter control over Quranic courses.  

Erbakan attempted to negotiate a softer implementation of these policies but ultimately resigned on June 18, 1997, passing leadership to coalition partner Tansu Çiller. However, on June 19, President Süleyman Demirel instead tasked Mesut Yılmaz with forming a government, an event later referred to as the "postmodern coup."  

On May 21, 1997, the Supreme Court of Appeals Prosecutor General Vural Savaş filed a case against the "Refah" Party for violating secular principles. On January 16, 1998, the party was dissolved, its assets were confiscated, and Erbakan, along with five associates, was banned from politics for five years.  

As Erbakan’s protégé, Erdoğan was expected to continue his political legacy. On December 6, 1997, he delivered a speech to 5,000 people in Siirt, condemning Turkey’s restrictions on freedom of thought and belief. He declared:  

“There is no freedom of thought in Turkey, and racial discrimination is being practiced. Our ideology is Islam. They will never defeat us. Even Westerners have freedom of belief—why is this not respected in Turkey? Of course, we will put an end to racial segregation in Turkey. Because the "Refah" Party has an ideology that is different from all others. Even if the sky and earth split apart, floods and volcanoes erupt around us, we will not turn away from our path. My ideology is Islam.”  

During his visit, Erdoğan was supposed to meet with Siirt Brigade General Sadık Ercan, but the general refused, reflecting growing tensions between Islamists and the military.  

In his speech, Erdoğan recited modified lines from Ziya Gökalp’s 1912 poem "Soldier’s Prayer":  

Minarets are spears, domes are helmets,
Mosques are fortresses, believers are soldiers.
This divine army will protect my religion,
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar!

He then stated:  

“Every era has its Pharaohs and Nimrods. But just as Moses and Abraham stood against them, we too will overcome obstacles and clear the path.”  

On December 7, 1997, a criminal case was opened against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for “inciting hatred between races, religions, and sects” due to his speech in Siirt. Interestingly, the poem he recited had been included in "Turks and Turkishness", a book recommended by the Ministry of National Education for teachers and secondary school students.  

Nevertheless, on April 21, 1998, Erdoğan was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 860,000 Turkish liras. After serving four months, an appeals court overturned the decision, leading to his release.  

Following his release, Erdoğan founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001. In the 2002 elections, the party won a sweeping victory, securing two-thirds of the seats in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Erdoğan became Prime Minister in 2003 and later Turkey’s first popularly elected President in 2014.  

Throughout his more than two decades in power, Erdoğan has navigated numerous political challenges, including the failed 2016 coup attempt. However, he now faces one of the most serious tests of his career. Unconventional economic policies have contributed to rapid inflation, and the devastating February 2023 earthquakes, which claimed over 50,000 lives, have further weakened his position. His increasingly assertive stance toward the European Union and the United States has also intensified calls in the West for his departure. 

A prominent figure in the Republican People's Party (CHP), 55-year-old Ekrem İmamoğlu has won consecutive victories against ruling party candidates in Istanbul’s last three local elections. On March 19, he was arrested alongside hundreds of supporters and aides on various charges. Notably, this development occurred just days before the CHP’s internal elections on March 23, where İmamoğlu was widely expected to be nominated as the party’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race. CHP leader Özgür Özel and other opposition figures have denounced the arrest as a political maneuver by Erdoğan to eliminate a key rival.  

Shortly after İmamoğlu’s arrest, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office had launched two investigations—one related to terrorism and the other to organized crime.  

- The Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau detained seven individuals on charges of aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey.  
- The Organized Crime Investigation Bureau arrested 100 suspects accused of crimes such as bribery, extortion, bid rigging, fraud, and unlawful possession of personal data.  

According to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, the case files include reports from the Financial Crimes Investigation Department, tax expert analyses, deposit records, witness statements, and other evidence. Interestingly, while 7 individuals were arrested for terrorism and 100 for organized crime, the total number of suspects stands at 106. This discrepancy arises because one suspect—reportedly the Istanbul governor—is implicated in both investigations.  

As Erdoğan enforces his hardline policies, İmamoğlu remains steadfast in his stance. With tensions escalating and both politicians presenting sharply opposing views, the political climate in Turkey is growing increasingly volatile.