An order to seize all copies of a forthcoming book by jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been issued by the Istanbul 4th criminal court.

A copy of the order made on August 27 circulated on social media.

Police are instructed by the court to raid printing facilities and confiscate all printed and in-production copies of the book, Millet Sahidimdir (The Nation Is My Witness), authored by the main political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The order strictly bans the distribution, sale and publication of the book nationwide.

Details in the order also show that the publisher was told to print an initial run of 22,000 copies of the 340-page book, while 2,700 copies had already been printed.

The manuscript, which would be published by Istanbul-based publisher Kirmizi Kedi, contains the full defence that Imamoglu, the prospective main opposition candidate for Turkey’s next presidential election, was barred from delivering in court during his ongoing trial.

The order was issued under Investigation No. 2026/152864 while the seizure relies on Articles 3/2 and 25/2 of Press Law No. 5187, which allow pre-publication confiscations on broad national security and public order grounds.

Imamoglu has been held in pre-trial detention in Silivri Prison, located around 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the centre of Istanbul, since March 2025 on corruption and organised crime charges.

The court order for the seizure of his book was officially served to Kirmizi Kedi on August 28, prompting an immediate outcry from Imamoglu’s supporters.