ANOTHER CHP MAYOR ARRESTED AS PRESSURE MOUNTS AHEAD OF İMAMOĞLU TRIAL
Gendarmes arrested CHP’s Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan March 2, just as the party was bracing for the trial on corruption allegations concerning the Istanbul Municipality.
Analysis
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ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY TRIAL BEGINS AS İMAMOĞLU MARKS FIRST YEAR IN DETENTION
The trial over corruption allegations at the Istanbul Municipality — a case expected to last for years — begins March 9, with 402 defendants, including 105 under arrest, among them Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
İMAMOĞLU RAISES FIRST OBJECTION TO ANOTHER CANDIDATE
Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has for the first time objected to the possibility of another person becoming the opposition’s presidential candidate.
ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY TRIAL BEGINS AS İMAMOĞLU MARKS FIRST YEAR IN DETENTION
The trial over corruption allegations at the Istanbul Municipality — a case expected to last for years — begins March 9, with 402 defendants, including 105 under arrest, among them Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
SEVERAL COURT CASES KEEP CHP UNDER JUDICIAL SIEGE
On Feb. 23, four separate courts in Istanbul and Ankara heard cases involving the CHP congress, corruption claims by businessperson and confessor Aziz İhsan Aktaş, accusations about its provincial chair, and the trial of a party bus driver.
TURKEY AND ARMENIA ON EDGE OF NORMALIZATION
Turkey and Armenia appear closer to normalization, with the launch of direct flights by Turkish Airlines and plans to open border gates. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he expects tangible progress “within a short period” on reopening long-closed land borders and increasing flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.
CHP URGES RELEASES, NOT POSTPONEMENT AS HEARING APPROACHES FOR İMAMOĞLU
As the first hearing in the main “corruption and bribery” case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his colleagues approaches — along with the anniversary of his detention — CHP Chair Özgür Özel said there are preparations to delay the proceedings by another three months.
FROM OATH SCUFFLES TO LAWYERS’ AND CHP’S REBUKE: GÜRLEK’S TURBULENT START
Soon after Akın Gürlek began serving as justice minister, the gloves were taken off in politics with the CHP. One of the newly-promoted prosecutor's first acts was to restrict imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s access to his lawyers.
CALL FOR POLICIES TO CURB TURKS’ OVERSEAS SPENDING
President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Şekip Avdagiç has triggered a wave of criticism after suggesting the government should introduce policies to limit Turkish citizens’ spending on vacations abroad.
SEEN BY TURKISH OPPOSITION AS SYMBOL OF INJUSTICE NAMED JUSTICE MINISTER
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reshuffled his Cabinet, appointing Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as justice minister, replacing Yılmaz Tunç. Gürlek has long been a target of the main opposition, dating back to his tenure as head of Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court, and more recently since his appointment as chief public prosecutor in October 2024, amid a series of high-profile court cases. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya was also replaced, with Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi named to the post. Gürlek’s appointment is widely viewed as a promotion
U.S.-IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN AMID TEHRAN’S RESERVATIONS OVER ISTANBUL
While Ankara has taken steps to reassure Tehran that it is a trustworthy interlocutor, those efforts appear to have fallen short. The United States and Iran have again agreed to meet in Muscat, the capital of Oman, rather than in Istanbul — highlighting Iran’s reluctance to accept Turkey as a venue for nuclear talks.
ADANA MAYOR FREED AS LEGAL CASES AGAINST CHP CONTINUE
Legal pressure on the main opposition CHP continued as allegations of drug use were expanded to include relatives of Ekrem İmamoğlu’s wife, while prosecutors finalized a separate “political espionage” indictment against the imprisoned presidential candidate. At the same time, an Istanbul court ordered the release of a high-profile mayor held on corruption charges, marking a notable shift in the broader judicial process. As a significant development in the ongoing corruption trials, the court ordered the release of Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar, who had been in detention since July. Karalar became the first CHP mayor to be freed since the start of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş case on Jan. 27. Eight other employees of several municipalities were also released.