A Turkish court has issued a new arrest warrant for imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, accusing him of political espionage, Anadolu Agency reported.
Imamoglu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in prison since March while awaiting trial on corruption charges. In July, he was sentenced for defamation and threats against Istanbul’s chief prosecutor. Imamoglu denies all allegations.
In a statement from prison, Imamoglu described the new charges as “slander, lies, and a conspiracy that even the devil could not imagine”, calling them “a shame beyond words.”
The court also named two others in the warrant, including Merdan Yanardag, editor-in-chief of the government-critical channel Tele1, which was taken over by the state on Friday amid espionage allegations.
According to Anadolu, Imamoglu is accused of involvement in corruption linked to fundraising for his presidential candidacy and of engaging in espionage to secure international support. Hundreds of members of his party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), are facing similar politically motivated charges, which the party strongly denies, accusing the government of attempting to suppress electoral opposition to Erdogan.
