ISTANBUL (AP) - Three mayors from major cities in southern Turkey have been arrested, as reported by state-run media on Saturday. This development adds to a worrying trend of detentions among opposition figures following the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March. The mayors Abdurrahman Tutdere of Adiyaman and Zeydan Karalar from Adana were detained in early morning raids by law enforcement, according to the Anadolu Agency. Both officials are affiliated with the main opposition Republican People’s Party, known as CHP.
The CHP mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, was also apprehended, along with two other individuals, during a separate bribery investigation conducted by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Notably, Karalar was arrested in Istanbul, while Tutdere was taken into custody in Ankara, where he also owns a residence. Tutdere later shared on social media platform X that he was being transported to Istanbul.
A total of ten individuals, including Karalar and Tutdere, were arrested as part of a broader investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The inquiry focuses on allegations of organized crime, bribery, and bid-rigging. Prosecutors have not promptly disclosed the specific charges against them. However, this operation is part of a series of arrests that have targeted several officials from CHP-controlled municipalities in recent months.
Ekrem Imamoglu, regarded as the principal challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's extended rule, was jailed four months ago under corruption allegations. Earlier in the week, the former CHP mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, alongside 137 municipal officials, was detained amid an ongoing investigation into claims of tender-rigging and fraud. Reportedly, former mayor Tunc Soyer and 59 others are currently imprisoned pending trial, which Soyer's lawyer characterized as a "clearly unjust, unlawful, and politically motivated decision."
Additionally, it was reported Friday that the CHP mayor of Manavgat, a resort city in Antalya province, had been detained along with 34 other suspects over alleged corruption issues. The series of arrests affecting CHP officials has raised alarms, with many viewing it as part of a strategy to weaken Turkey's main opposition party. While the government contends that prosecutors and the judiciary operate independently, the arrest of Imamoglu instigated the largest street protests in Turkey in over ten years.
A notable outcome of these developments is that Imamoglu was officially nominated by his party as its presidential candidate following his imprisonment, as Turkey's next elections are scheduled for 2028 but could occur sooner. The current crackdown on opposition figures comes a year after the CHP made significant inroads during local elections. It’s worth mentioning that Adiyaman was especially impacted by the 2023 earthquake and had been a former stronghold of Erdogan, yet it fell to the opposition in those elections.
