Dilek Imamoglu spoke of "ridiculous accusations" and added that "no one can remain silent in the face of such injustice."

"The police came at dawn. 'I have a 13-year-old daughter and despite what happened, she told me she would go to school and get on with her life,'" the wife of the mayor of Istanbul initially said.

"Yesterday, they illegally revoked his diploma. Did we expect this development of events? We are still a legal state, even if it is on paper. You say that this is not possible, then you see that you are entering a new process. One such thing is what happened this morning. First they arrest you, and then they try to find evidence. The accusations of a criminal organization are ridiculous. "A lot of dirty information is being given," continued Dilek İmamoğlu and concluded:

iBB Baskani Ekrem imamoglu'nun eşi Dilek imamoğlu:

'Bir sürü kirli bilgi dolanyor. Ekrem Bey zendi halkına emanet ediyoor ve bu millet bunun hasabını gün gelecek soracak.'pic.twitter.com/cft1ZC4e66

— İhbar (@ihbarmedya) March 19, 2025

"Ekrem has the trust of the people and the people will one day hold him accountable. Because no one can remain silent in the face of such injustice."

This morning, Human Rights Watch Turkey director Emma Sinclair-Webb condemned the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and other individuals by the Istanbul municipal government, calling it a “blatant violation of the justice system.”

In comments to Reuters, Sinclair-Webb said the arrests were part of a "pattern of politically motivated investigations" aimed at undermining opposition activities. At the same time, she called for the immediate release of Imamoglu and the other detainees.

Istanbul mayor and around 100 others arrested on corruption suspicion