Turkey and the Political Persecution of Imamoglu (Erdogan and NATO)
Nuray Lydia Oglu, Noriko Watanabe, and Kanako Mita
Modern Tokyo Times
Political tensions in Turkey (Türkiye) continue to simmer dangerously following the arrest of Ekrem Imamoğlu, the influential mayor of Istanbul, earlier this year. Under the current judicial and political climate, Imamoğlu faces the genuine prospect of a long prison term. This places a clear responsibility on fellow NATO nations to speak out, rather than silently watching democratic norms erode within their own alliance.
The BBC reports, “The prosecutor in Turkey’s biggest city has accused popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu of 142 corruption offences that command jail terms ranging from 828 to 2,352 years.”
These charges are beyond absurd—they are a calculated assault on democratic competition, engineered to eliminate a political figure whom Erdoğan cannot control. This kind of judicial theatre degrades Turkey’s legal institutions and exposes the extent to which the state has been bent to serve one man’s grip on power.
Yet the deeper scandal lies in the international response. Democratic nations within NATO not only remain quiet—they continue to engage Erdoğan diplomatically, economically, and militarily, as though these authoritarian excesses were mere inconveniences. Such willful blindness corrodes the credibility of the entire alliance.
If NATO refuses to defend democracy within its own borders, it forfeits any moral authority to defend it elsewhere.
Supporters of Imamoğlu openly accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of weaponizing the judiciary to neutralize a leading political rival. Such accusations, combined with the pattern of politically charged prosecutions in recent years, send a bleak signal about the state of democracy in Turkey. The fear is growing that Erdoğan’s relentless centralization of power—built on manipulating state institutions, marginalizing opponents, and eroding checks and balances—may provoke severe instability once he inevitably relinquishes power due to age or health.
Erdoğan’s tenure has been defined by an uncompromising obsession with retaining authority at all costs. Those who challenge him, whether political opponents, civil society figures, or perceived internal threats, have consistently felt the full weight of a judiciary and state apparatus aligned with his interests. This entrenched pattern underscores a deeper crisis: the longer power is concentrated in the hands of one man, the more turbulent Turkey’s future becomes.
The Guardian reported in the immediate aftermath of Imamoğlu’s arrest: “The CHP (Republican People’s Party) is attempting to shepherd a nationwide protest movement that quickly grew to include demands far beyond İmamoğlu’s freedom, with demonstrators calling for an end to the democratic backsliding that has occurred under Erdoğan’s rule, as well as the liberation of the Kurdish former presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş.”
This widening movement underlines a crucial point: the crisis is no longer about a single political figure—it is about the very survival of democratic accountability in Turkey.
Accordingly, it is imperative that the CHP maintains intense pressure on the state institutions Erdoğan has bent to his will. Retreat or hesitation would only embolden further political repression. Equally disturbing is the posture of major global powers, from the United States to the United Kingdom, who appear all too willing to gloss over Erdoğan’s authoritarian trajectory when strategic interests demand silence. Such selective moral outrage—loud elsewhere but muted in Ankara—only deepens the sense of injustice and abandonment felt by pro-democracy forces within Turkey.
Dilek İmamoğlu, standing resolutely at the forefront of the nationwide protests, has become a powerful symbol of defiance. She—and millions of other citizens—are profoundly alarmed by the politically charged imprisonment of her husband.
Her words cut sharply through the atmosphere of fear: “We’re fighting not just for Ekrem, but for Turkey.” With this, she reframed the struggle as a national battle for justice, not a personal plea.
She continued with even greater conviction: “We must give each other strength; we are a large family of 86 million people. Justice cannot be imprisoned.”
In a political landscape overshadowed by repression, her message stands as both a rallying cry and a warning: the will of the people is far more enduring than any attempt to silence it.
Erdoğan is now facing mounting pressure as the CHP and a broad spectrum of Turkish society grow increasingly intolerant of his relentless suffocation of democratic norms. Years of power consolidation, coupled with a deepening cost-of-living crisis, have left many citizens disillusioned and furious at the widening gap between his grand promises and their harsh daily reality.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Erdoğan’s government exerts control over roughly 90% of the national media—an extraordinary level of dominance that shields his administration from scrutiny while stifling dissenting voices. This near-total media monopoly not only distorts public discourse but also underscores the extent to which democratic institutions have been bent to serve the interests of one man and his ruling elite.
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “Irrespective of whether Erdoğan holds onto power, it is clear that tens of millions of people feel alienated in Turkey under his rule. Hence, Erdoğan is merely sowing long-term divisions which bodes ill for the future of this country.”
Countries across Europe and North America must finally speak out, especially given the NATO dimension. Erdoğan’s actions strike at the heart of the alliance’s professed values. After all, how can NATO nations repeatedly proclaim their commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of member states from external threats, while turning a blind eye to the internal erosion of those very principles within their own ranks?
Erdoğan’s deeds expose a glaring contradiction: the lofty rhetoric of democratic solidarity is meaningless if NATO members remain silent as one of their key allies dismantles judicial independence, crushes political opposition, and tightens authoritarian control. For the credibility of the alliance—and for the future of democracy in Turkey—silence is no longer a defensible option.
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