In a country traumatized by a pair of deadly seismic catastrophes on February 6, 2023, calling the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu on March 19 a political earthquake is not so much an understatement as an accurate metaphor. Imamoğlu was apprehended on charges of corruption and terrorism, just as he had begun to mount his presidential campaign (elections are slated for 2028), suggesting a clear political motive. As purges have commenced to impound city administrators and opposition leaders, those who exercise basic civic rights in Turkey must fight for their freedom under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s one-man rule.