The mayor of İstanbul's Esenyurt district, Ahmet Özer, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained today in a raid on his home.
During the raid early in the morning, the police searched the mayor’s home while a simultaneous search was carried out in the municipality building.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, in a statement issued after Özer’s detention, outlined its allegations. Accordingly, Özer is suspected of maintaining ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its umbrella organization, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).
Authorities claimed to have obtained evidence through wiretaps, surveillance, and financial records linking Özer to the organization’s leadership in northern Iraq and to known PKK figures. They accused him of “establishing a sustained and intensive connection” with the PKK/KCK, leading to the charge of "membership in a terrorist organization."
CHP condemns the raid
CHP İstanbul Chair Özgür Çelik condemned the operation, describing it as “judicial interference in politics” in a statement to NTV. Çelik stated that he, along with other CHP officials, would visit the police station to show solidarity with Özer.
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, also a member of the CHP, voiced his support for Özer on social media "Our Esenyurt Mayor, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer, was detained this morning. We are closely following the situation," he wrote. “Mr. Özer is a distinguished scientist and local administrator who has worked in the state and held senior positions at universities, from dean to vice-rector. Turkey must stop being a country where morning house raids are carried out against politicians and scientists.”
While it is common practice for pro-Kurdish local administrators to be detained and prosecuted on “terror” charges, this marks the first time a CHP member has faced such allegations. The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party had supported Özer’s 2024 election bid by not nominating a candidate in Esenyurt. (VK)
