Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul and presidential candidate for Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been charged with espionage. The new charges stem from an investigation into alleged connections between İmamoğlu’s 2019 mayoral campaign and Hüseyin Gün, a businessman arrested in July 2025 for conducting intelligence activities on behalf of foreign governments. Prosecutors allege that İmamoğlu shared personal data of Istanbul residents to secure international funding for his campaign.
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| Exclusive: İmamoğlu speaks out amid espionage charge Exclusive: İmamoğlu speaks out amid espionage charge |
İmamoğlu, already in pretrial detention on separate corruption charges, has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. He described the legal proceedings as a form of oppression against the people and a national disgrace
The investigation intensified after Gün, who had been in contact with İmamoğlu’s adviser, Necati Özkan, became a state witness. Gün’s digital communications, including encrypted messages, were reportedly used as evidence in the case. However, İmamoğlu has denied any involvement with encrypted messaging apps and dismissed the evidence as fabricated.
Speaking to Medyascope, İmamoğlu denied the charges and accused the state of extracting false confession, stating: “Turkey is becoming a nation where anyone can be arrested and told, ‘slander İmamoğlu and benefit from becoming a state witness,’ and this will be normalised.”
“I am confronted with the vilest, most despicable lies and slanders I have ever encountered in my life,” İmamoğlu wrote, adding that with each case opened and every allegation made, the level of malice only grows.
“I am faced with unimaginable machinations,” he continued. “These people have lost their minds, and their sole purpose is to harm me, concoct conspiracy theories, and attack my reputation. They spend day and night devising schemes that are beyond imagination.”
İmamoğlu argued that the latest court case has only undermined the judiciary, the law, and justice itself. Fearing the outcome of this single case, a small, panicked group of conspirators barricaded the entire Istanbul Courthouse, denying entry even to lawyers and the Bar Association. He added that he watched, with sorrow, how a handful of individuals had brought the country to this state of disrepair.
“This small group of avaricious people, working in collusion with a madman, fabricated a despicable allegation of espionage against me,” he wrote. “Through shameless harassment and intimidation, they conducted an investigation that ignored the law and distorted legal procedures for taking statements and interrogations, ultimately leading to my charges.”
The primary witness in the case, Hüseyin Gün, was taken into custody and later became a state witness based on statements from an informant that formed the basis of the investigation. On the very day İmamoğlu was scheduled to give his statement, Gün assumed this state-witness role.
According to Gün’s own statement, in 2019, following the annulment of the first round of Istanbul mayoral elections—which initially brought İmamoğlu his first victory—and just 15 days before the repeat vote on 23 June, Gün met İmamoğlu’s adviser, Necati Özkan, through a close family friend.
Gün himself confirmed that he had no direct contact, conversation, or meeting with İmamoğlu. He only accompanied a close family friend, whom he described as his “adoptive mother,” who has since passed away. According to Gün’s statement, the visit was simply to congratulate İmamoğlu on his provisional election victory.
The only allegation against Gün, described by prosecutors as a “foreign agent,” was that he had sent various observations and suggestions about the election to İmamoğlu’s adviser. According to İmamoğlu, the messages presented by the prosecutor were so absurd that they effectively credited Gün with turning a narrow 13,600-vote win into an 806,000-vote margin in the repeat election—an obviously impossible claim. “This is the kind of madman we are dealing with,” he said.
“Our struggle is great,” İmamoğlu continued. “Turkey has reached a point where it is considered normal to arrest anyone and say, ‘Accuse İmamoğlu and take advantage of being a state witness.’ As in the story of Muawiya, this is the kind of logic that turns a male camel into a female one.”
He stressed that such a decision—based solely on the inconsistent statements of a single individual, without any evidence, contact, or dialogue—clearly shows that the judiciary is attempting to shape politics rather than deliver justice. “I categorically reject it,” he wrote.
