Turkish authorities detain more opposition mayors amid crackdown
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Turkish authorities detain three more opposition mayors from the CHP, as part of a widening legal crackdown since 2023.
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Turkish police officers walk as people gather, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 29, 2025 (AP)
Turkish authorities detained three more mayors from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Saturday, according to a statement by the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office and media reports.
The arrests mark the latest development in a months-long legal crackdown that has spread beyond Istanbul.
The mayors of Adana and Adiyaman, two major cities in southern Turkey, were taken into custody on allegations of extortion, alongside at least eight other individuals.
Broadcaster NTV also reported that the mayor of Antalya and the deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Buyukcekmece district were detained as part of the same investigation.
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Legal pressure intensifies since Imamoglu's detention
Since October last year, the crackdown has targeted hundreds of CHP members, including at least 11 other mayors. The opposition party broadly denies the accusations and has condemned the ongoing probe as politically motivated, claims that the government has firmly rejected.
In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was jailed pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies.
His detention triggered the largest street protests in Turkey in a decade and led to a sharp decline in Turkish financial markets.
