ISTANBUL (AP) – In a significant move in the ongoing corruption investigation linked to the imprisonment of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, police detained 47 individuals during dawn raids on Saturday. The operations took place in various locations, including Istanbul, the neighboring province of Tekirdag, and the capital, Ankara, primarily targeting senior officials from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, according to local media reports.
The detention of Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19 marked a pivotal moment, leading to Turkey's largest protests in over a decade. The mayor, who is widely recognized as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, has faced allegations that many opposition supporters consider to be politically motivated. The Turkish government maintains that its judicial system operates independently and without bias.
In a statement released by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, simultaneous operations were conducted against 53 suspects, with six individuals still remaining at large. Authorities have announced that ongoing searches are being carried out at various homes and workplaces associated with those under investigation.
Following the arrest of Imamoglu, demonstrations erupted against what protesters labeled a "March 19 coup," resulting in over 2,000 arrests for participating in banned protests. Among those detained were many students, alongside journalists and trade unionists. As a result of these events, Imamoglu was nominated as the presidential candidate for his Republican People's Party (CHP) even while incarcerated. Although elections are scheduled for 2028, they could potentially occur sooner.
The legal proceedings against Imamoglu include several charges, including terror-related allegations from an investigation initiated last month. These impending cases could lead to his disqualification from political participation. Reports from the CHP-supporting Cumhuriyet newspaper indicated that those arrested on Saturday included high-ranking officials within the Istanbul municipality, such as the deputy secretary general, Imamoglu's private secretary, and the head of the city's water company. Gokhan Gunaydin, a senior lawmaker from the CHP, criticized the arrests, stating that the municipality was being effectively paralyzed.
Imamoglu's advisor, who had already been among 100 individuals arrested during the March crackdown, saw his wife detained on the same day, highlighting the ongoing intensity of the governmental response against opposition figures. Demonstrations against Imamoglu’s imprisonment persist, albeit at a reduced scale. Reports reveal that 30 people were arrested at a protest the previous evening, as stated by the Ankara governor's office. The CHP planned to hold a rally later in the day in Mersin, a city on the Mediterranean coast.
In the wake of the 2019 local elections, in which the CHP gained control of several major cities, including Istanbul, Imamoglu's victory ended a 25-year-long dominance by President Erdogan’s party and its predecessors. This shift in political power continues to reverberate across Turkey’s political landscape amidst claims of democratic backsliding and increasing government repression against dissenters.
