Lawyers for İstanbul’s jailed mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu have filed more than 200 criminal complaints against journalists, TV stations and online media outlets over what they describe as a coordinated smear campaign following his detention and subsequent arrest in March, according to a statement from the İstanbul Municipality.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was arrested March 23, the day his party, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), elected him as their presidential candidate. The mayor, who was arrested on corruption charges, which many see as political, was also removed from office.
The complaints, submitted to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), target media content that allegedly violated the presumption of innocence, disclosed confidential details of an ongoing investigation and amounted to public defamation.
According to the statement issued by the İstanbul Municipality’s legal department, İmamoğlu’s legal team said the mayor was “unlawfully targeted” with unsubstantiated claims that “injured the public conscience” and violated his personal rights.
Since İmamoğlu’s detention, pro-government news outlets and journalists have published reports aimed at legitimizing the investigation into the mayor, coverage many see as an attempt to shape public perception against the popular opposition figure, who has won three elections in İstanbul, twice when the elections were renewed in 2019 and in 2024.
The complaints accuse several media outlets, including pro-government channels and newspapers such as A Haber, Akit TV, Sabah, TGRT Haber, Ülke TV and Kanal 24, of engaging in character assassination. Journalists named in the complaints include Cem Küçük, Abdulkadir Selvi, Gürkan Hacır and Ferhat Murat, who are known to be close to President Erdoğan and his government.
“These broadcasts and publications amounted to slander, bias, violations of media ethics and execution without a trial,” the statement said, adding that many of the comments lacked any factual basis and served to publicly demonize İmamoğlu.
Lawyers also said the language used in the reports contradicted not only journalistic ethics but also basic legal rights and the integrity of the judicial process.
“We will continue to pursue all legal avenues to address these violations, which undermine the presumption of innocence and obstruct the proper conduct of the investigation,” the legal team said.