Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu Detained in a Dawn Raid

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained in his home on March 19th in a dawn raid. Imamoğlu and 90 others who were detained along with him were referred to court on the 4th day of their detention.

As operations against CHP municipalities have been on the country’s agenda since March 19th, CHP Deputy Chairman Erhan Adem made a striking allegation. Adem stated that while Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained, fertile agricultural lands in Polatlı district of Ankara were urgently expropriated for Mehmet Cengiz’s electricity company.

Adem, in his statement regarding the issue, recorded the following:

“We are facing a power that benefits from every disaster! They never give up exploiting the people’s property, land, forest, and labor. Instead of managing the crisis, they profit from the crisis.

While people struggle with livelihood, you are pursuing to satisfy a handful of cronies. The Official Gazette is no longer a public-interest bulletin but has turned into a bulletin for transferring wealth to cronies.

“URGENTLY EXPROPRIATED”

When Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained, fertile agricultural lands in Polatlı district of Ankara were urgently expropriated for Mehmet Cengiz’s electricity company.

These lands, which are the granary of Turkey, were seized to produce cheap electricity for a company instead of producing wheat. The lands taken from the peasants are presented on a golden platter to cronies in construction.

“ISTANBUL’S METRO TAKEN OVER”

Not only that, they took over Istanbul’s metro. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Kazım Karabekir – Topağacı – Ümraniye metro line was transferred to the Ministry of Transportation.

They resort to all sorts of trickery to obstruct Istanbul’s transportation and render opposition municipalities incapable of functioning. The regulations that transfer funds to AKP municipalities turn into a weapon for opposition municipalities.

“PROJECTS TAKEN FROM MUNICIPALITIES”

Projects financed by the people’s taxes are being taken from municipalities serving the people.

All of this indicates that AKP’s rule has turned into a rent-seeking system that works for cronies, not the people.

This mentality, which plunders our agricultural lands, forests, and public resources, is destroying the people’s future. We will continue our struggle to change this system and free Turkey from this cycle of rent seeking.”