Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its far-right ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), on Tuesday rejected a proposal to have the upcoming hearings in the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality case against jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu broadcast live on state broadcaster TRT, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency.
The motion was filed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
İmamoğlu, seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival and the CHP’s presidential candidate, was detained in March in what critics describe as a politically driven corruption probe.
Ahead of the vote, CHP group deputy chair Murat Emir urged the government lawmakers to endorse the measure, saying the public should be able to follow a case that directly affects democratic representation in Turkey’s largest city.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t run away,” Emir said. “You say the indictment is solid, then let TRT broadcast the trial so everyone can see it.”
Prosecutors filed the long-awaited indictment against İmamoğlu last month, accusing him of leading a vast criminal network and committing 142 offenses that could result in a sentence of up to 2,430 years in prison.
The nearly 4,000-page indictment accuses İmamoğlu of crimes including running a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and bid rigging.
İmamoğlu denies all accusations and describes them as politically motivated.
The CHP first submitted the bill in May, shortly after MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli publicly said the hearings could be aired live, arguing that this would “make the truth fully visible to the public.” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also signaled openness at the time, according to the CHP.
The CHP’s proposal sought amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the TRT Law to require live broadcast of trials involving elected officials. Emir noted that even Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç had said such a step would be possible “if parliament decides.”
After the AKP and MHP voted the motion down, a brief dispute broke out between Emir and MHP group deputy chair Erkan Akçay, according to a report by the Gazete Oksijen news website on Tuesday.
“We said only liars fear TRT broadcasting the truth. But the AKP and MHP rejected even bringing our proposal on the [İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality] trial to the agenda,” Emir posted on X following the vote.
İmamoğlu, who has been in pretrial detention since March 23, reacted sharply to the rejection. “You never surprise me. You don’t have the courage,” he said in a statement released through the Presidential Candidate Office account on X, which he has been using via his lawyers since his personal account was restricted in Turkey earlier this year.
His arrest triggered the largest street unrest Turkey has witnessed in over a decade, with thousands gathering outside İstanbul City Hall in Saraçhane. Protests quickly spread nationwide, leading to nightly clashes with riot police. Nearly 2,000 people were detained, including students and several journalists, some held for weeks or months before indictment.
The CHP itself has been under what the party describes as a broad crackdown for more than a year. Sixteen CHP mayors and dozens of officials have been jailed in various investigations.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel says the probes are politically motivated operations aimed at weakening local democracy and undermining opposition control over major cities.
