Turkish authorities have opened an investigation for espionage against Ekrem Imamoglu, former mayor of Istanbul.

The authorities in Turkey have initiated a new espionage investigation against Ekrem Imamoglu, former mayor of Istanbul and political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the social-democratic candidate for the presidential elections in 2028, has been in pre-trial detention since March, accused of corruption and ties to terrorists. Recently, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for insulting the prosecutor in the case. As part of the same investigation, the police arrested the director of the opposition channel Tele1, Merdan Yanardag, on charges of espionage in favor of Israel and some terrorist groups. Authorities claim that those involved transmitted information about voters for Imamoglu's electoral campaign. Additionally, the personal data of millions of users of the "Istanbul Senin" application has been compromised. The opposition, led by the CHP, accuses the government of using the judicial system to silence critics, and Imamoglu's arrest has sparked widespread protests across the country. Furthermore, a court in Ankara has closed an investigation against CHP leader, Ozgur Ozel, for bribery allegations.