The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has asked the Turkish government to respond to an application filed by jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, marking a new stage in the case concerning his pretrial detention, Turkish Minute reported.
İmamoğlu, 54, was arrested in March 2025 on the same day the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) formally named him as its presidential candidate, in a move critics said was aimed at sidelining him ahead of the next election.
His various objections to his pretrial detention and its continuation were dismissed. His objection to a confidentiality order on the investigation file remains pending, as does an individual application he filed with Turkey’s Constitutional Court on May 13, 2025.
İmamoğlu lodged his application with the Strasbourg court on November 10, 2025.
In a notification issued to Ankara and made public on Monday, the ECtHR said the case concerns İmamoğlu’s jailing on charges including leading a criminal organization, bribery, bid-rigging and unlawful handling of personal data.
The court also published a statement of facts and a list of questions for the parties.
The move, known as the “communication” of a case, means the court has formally requested the government’s observations but does not imply that the application is admissible or that a rights violation has occurred.
In his application to the court, İmamoğlu claims that there is no evidence in the case file to support the charges against him. He also raises multiple complaints about his pretrial detention, including restricted access to the investigation file and what he describes as a lack of effective judicial review, citing provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights related to the right to liberty and security.
He further claims that his detention is politically motivated and was imposed after he announced his presidential candidacy for a future presidential election.
According to İmamoğlu, the criminal proceedings and his continued detention have prevented him from actively campaigning, placing him at a disadvantage and interfering with his right to free elections.
The ECtHR notified the Turkish government of the application on March 23 and asked it to address a series of questions including whether there was reasonable suspicion justifying the detention, whether courts provided sufficient grounds for its continuation and whether İmamoğlu had access to effective legal remedies.
The court also referred to its December 2020 ruling in the case of jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş, a two-time presidential candidate and former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), in which it found that his detention had pursued a political motive.
In that context, the ECtHR asked the Turkish government whether İmamoğlu’s detention was similarly politically motivated and whether it interfered with his ability to run in presidential elections and participate effectively in the electoral process.
According to a statement from the CHP, the framing of these questions suggests the court may view the case as a potential interference in democratic processes and the right to political representation.
The court also requested relevant documents from the investigation file.
İmamoğlu, elected İstanbul mayor in 2019 and re-elected in 2024, is widely seen as the strongest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
His detention has attracted criticism from opposition politicians and rights groups, who say the case is politically motivated, while Turkish authorities insist the judiciary is independent.
The trial of İmamoğlu and 406 others began on March 9 at a court inside the Marmara Prison complex in Silivri, on the outskirts of İstanbul.
The indictment accuses İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organization and includes charges such as bribery, bid-rigging, embezzlement and espionage, with prosecutors seeking a combined sentence of up to 2,430 years in prison.
Critics say the case criminalizes legitimate political activity and is part of a larger crackdown on the opposition following the CHP’s strong performance in the March 2024 local elections.
The trial is expected to last for 45 days.
The ECtHR will rule on the case at a later stage.
