On 19 March 2025, Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem ðmamoÃÂlu from the opposition Republican People's Party was detained by Turkish police on suspicion of corruption, extortion, bribery, money laundering, espionage, and supporting terrorism, particularly the PKK.
ðmamoÃÂlu was later arrested and sent to Marmara Prison on corruption charges on 23 March 2025 just as he was becoming a serious challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the 2025 Republican People's Party presidential primary later that day over 15 million people voted in ðmamoÃÂlu's support. His arrest, along with that of more than 100 other people, caused widespread protests and demonstrations over perceived political motivations.
The Council of Europe, European Parliament and Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the detention of ðmamoÃÂlu, describing it as against the will of the people. After the detention, anti-government protests began in Turkey.
Many opposition mayors have been arrested and removed from office, including the current president in 1999 and Kurdish party mayors in the south-east. European Judges for Democracy and Liberty say that the justice system is not independent and that there are âÂÂmany examples of arbitrary justice and of unlawful detention in TurkeyâÂÂ. During the first couple of months of 2025 some activists, journalists and opposition mayor, were detained. Including the trial in 2022, there have been several some of which are ongoing.
On 18 March 2025, Istanbul University annulled ðmamoÃÂlu's degree, citing irregularities. As Turkey's presidential candidates must hold a university degree, this would effectively block him from running for president. The decision came days before the opposition party was set to nominate him.
Just before ðmamoÃÂlu was formally elected as the Mayor of Istanbul in 2019, Sabah newspaper alleged that ðmamoÃÂluâÂÂs transfer from Girne American University in Northern Cyprus to Istanbul University was illegal. In response to a complaint in 2020 Istanbul University Presidency said that ðmamoÃÂlu applied for the international transfer quota announced by the university and that his application was evaluated and accepted according to the regulations. However, in 2024 the Higher Education Council said that in 1990, the year ðmamoÃÂlu transferred, it did not recognize Girne American University. ðmamoÃÂlu's lawyers say that at that time recognition of the sending university was not required for transfer, so Istanbul University accepted him. Legal action attempting reinstatement of his degree continues.
On the morning of 19 March 2025, Turkish police surrounded ðmamoÃÂlu's residence in Istanbul. In a video, tweeted at approximately 7 a.m. local time, ðmamoÃÂlu said "We are facing great oppression, but I will not give up. I entrust myself to my nation." Shortly thereafter, ðmamoÃÂlu and around 100 other people, including his advisor Murat Ongun, were detained.
Two Istanbul district mayors from the CHP, and several journalists and business figures, were detained as part of the same operation. These developments came on the morning of ðmamoÃÂlu becoming the CHP presidential candidate. The CHP condemned the detentions, describing them as a "coup attempt", and expressed their support for ðmamoÃÂlu. On March 23 twenty people, including the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Media Inc. and ðmamoÃÂlu's advisor Murat Ongun, Istanbul Planning Agency President BuÃÂra Gökçe, ðmamoÃÂlu Construction General Manager Tuncay Yñlmaz and ðBB Kültür A.à Â. General Manager Murat Abbas, were arrested. Forty-eight people, including ðmamoÃÂlu, were arrested in the corruption investigation, three people were arrested in the terrorism investigation, and decisions were issued for forty-one people. On that day, ðmamoÃÂlu was the only candidate in the CHP's presidential primary election, held to choose the party's nominee for the upcoming presidential election. According to CHP Chairman ÃÂzgür ÃÂzel, ðmamoÃÂlu received over 14.85 million votes.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office accused ðmamoÃÂlu of being the "leader of a criminal organization," alleging corruption, extortion, bribery, and money laundering tied to municipal contracts. Prosecutors also charged him with aiding the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), by forming an electoral alliance with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) during the 2024 municipal elections. The government claimed this "city consensus" increased the PKK's influence in urban areas. ðmamoÃÂlu and his supporters rejected the charges as fabricated, asserting they were designed to eliminate him as a political threat to President Recep Tayyip ErdoÃÂan. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also announced that ðmamoÃÂlu's construction company had been seized as part of the investigation and detained its general manager.
The Turkish government also imposed a four-day ban on public demonstrations in Istanbul, closed major roads, and restricted access to social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks. ðmamoÃÂlu was taken to the Vatan Security Department in Istanbul, where he remained in custody pending further legal proceedings.
Four TV stations were fined by the Radio and Television Supreme Council because of their broadcasts about ðmamoÃÂlu.
The Turkish government has increased censorship by cooperating with social media companies such as Google, Meta Platforms, TikTok, Twitter and Bluesky to block accounts and posts.
The arrest of Ekrem ðmamoÃÂlu led to significant fluctuations in the Turkish economy, because it increased political uncertainty. The central bank sold nearly $10 billion in foreign currency, so the Turkish lira fell only 3% against the US dollar. The BIST 100 index fell by almost 9%. Turkey's 2045-maturity dollar-denominated government bond lost 1.6 cents in value, dropping to 80.9 cents.
Revising its expectation of a 250-basis-point monthly cut by the Central Bank, JPMorgan predicted that the central bank would cut interest rates by 150 basis points at each meeting. Bank of America raised its inflation forecast to 28% and year end interest rate projection to 32.5%.
Turkey's Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet à Âimà Âek, stated, "Everything necessary is being done to ensure the healthy functioning of the markets. The economic program we are implementing continues resolutely." Foreign investors confidence fell, and some experts say that the full economic impact will only become clear over the course of the year.
On 17 April 2025, Germany blocked the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoons to Turkey after the arrest of ðmamoÃÂlu, citing political tensions.