Erdogan Accuses Istanbul Mayor of Espionage, Ignores Own Record
The New Arab's headline frames Ekrem Imamoglu's questioning over alleged espionage and terror links as a straightforward legal matter. But for anyone tracking Turkish politics, this is a tired playbook: target popular opposition figures with murky legal cases to neutralise political threats. President Erdoğan's administration has a long history of weaponizing the judiciary against dissent, from
jailing journalists and academics to suppressing political opponents under the guise of state security—a tactic that intensified post-2016 coup attempt, leading to mass arrests and purges of alleged 'terrorist' sympathizers. One might reasonably infer that the 'espionage charges' are less about actual intelligence gathering and more about eliminating a formidable challenger to the ruling AKP. It
appears the definition of 'espionage' in Turkey, when applied to political rivals, is simply 'gaining popularity outside of Erdoğan's approval.' Imamoglu's landslide win in Istanbul—a city Erdoğan himself once led—was a significant blow, and now, mysteriously, his political campaign is linked to 'intelligence activities.' How many times must we see this chapter before recognizing the pattern?