Wall Street Journal: “Imamoğlu’s Real Crime Is His Popularity Among Turkish Voters”

U.S. business daily slams the indictment seeking 2,352 years in prison for Istanbul Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu

The Wall Street Journal has strongly criticized Turkey’s indictment against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul Mayor and opposition presidential candidate, calling the move “a political vendetta” driven by his growing popularity among Turkish voters.

In an editorial titled “Erdoğan’s Two-Thousand-Year Revenge,” the New York-based paper said the indictment represents “the authoritarian turn of Turkey’s leadership,” arguing that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seeks not only to imprison his main rival, but to “bury the prison keys beneath the sands of time.”

A staggering 2,352-year prison demand

The editorial comes after Turkish prosecutors filed a case demanding a 2,352-year sentence against İmamoğlu, alleging he led a vast criminal organization tied to municipal contracts and corruption.
The WSJ noted that the charges were filed just weeks before his formal announcement as the opposition’s joint presidential candidate, calling the timing “a deliberate political intervention.”

“Officials claim İmamoğlu heads a major criminal network,” the paper wrote, “but his real crime is his popularity among Turkish voters.”
According to the Journal, Erdoğan’s government is “working to remove him from the ballot” after polls showed the opposition mayor could be a strong contender in a potential presidential race.

Editorial: Erdoğan’s authoritarian instincts

The WSJ’s editorial board described Erdoğan as “Turkey’s authoritarian president” who has spent 22 years consolidating power — first as prime minister and then as head of state.
“The same voter anger that once propelled Erdoğan to power,” the piece said, “may now be turning against him.”

The editorial concluded that Erdoğan “will not allow a choice between his own fourth, fifth — or two-thousandth presidential term — and a popular rival like Imamoğlu.”
“His dictatorial ambition and political insecurity explain the prosecution’s absurd excess,” the WSJ wrote.

International spotlight on Turkey’s judiciary

The WSJ’s comments add to growing international concern over the rule of law and judicial independence in Turkey.
Human rights groups and EU institutions have already condemned the indictment as “politically motivated” and inconsistent with international legal norms.

Imamoğlu, arrested in March 2025, remains in pretrial detention as his legal team prepares an appeal. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges that more than 70 officials in the municipality acted under his directives in what it calls “a coordinated criminal enterprise.”

Opposition leader Özgür Özel of the CHP has demanded that Erdoğan and pro-government media “publicly justify the indictment,” calling it “a historic test for Turkey’s democracy.”

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