2 mayors arrested in southern Turkey as part of crackdown on opposition

ISTANBUL – The mayors of 2 large cities successful confederate Turkey were arrested Saturday, state-run media reported, joining a increasing database of absorption figures detained since the mayor of Istanbul was imprisoned successful March.

Abdurrahman Tutdere, the politician of Adiyaman, and Zeydan Karalar, who heads Adana municipality, were detained successful aboriginal greeting raids, according to Anadolu Agency. Both are members of the main absorption Republican People’s Party, oregon CHP.

Karalar was arrested successful Istanbul and Tutdere was arrested successful the capital, Ankara, wherever helium has a home. Tutdere posted connected X that helium was being taken to Istanbul.

In total, 10 radical were arrested arsenic portion of an probe by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into allegations involving organized crime, bribery and bid-rigging.

Details of the charges against them were not instantly released by prosecutors but the cognition follows the arrests of scores of officials from municipalities controlled by the CHP successful caller months.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, wide considered the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s 22-year rule, was jailed 4 months agone implicit corruption allegations.

The erstwhile CHP politician of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, and 137 municipal officials were detained earlier this week arsenic portion of an probe into alleged tender-rigging and fraud. On Friday, ex-mayor Tunc Soyer and 59 others were jailed pending proceedings successful what Soyer’s lawyer described arsenic “a intelligibly unjust, unlawful and politically motivated decision.”

Also Friday, it was reported by state-run media that the CHP politician of Manavgat, a Mediterranean edifice metropolis successful Antalya province, and 34 others were detained implicit alleged corruption.

CHP officials person faced waves of arrests this twelvemonth that galore see aimed astatine neutralizing Turkey’s main absorption party. The authorities insists prosecutors and the judiciary enactment independently but the apprehension of Istanbul’s Imamoglu led to the largest thoroughfare protests Turkey has seen successful much than a decade.

Imamoglu was officially nominated arsenic his party’s statesmanlike campaigner pursuing his imprisonment. Turkey’s adjacent predetermination is owed successful 2028 but could travel sooner.

The crackdown comes a twelvemonth aft the CHP made important gains successful section elections. Adiyaman, which was severely affected by the 2023 earthquake, was among respective cities antecedently considered strongholds for Erdogan to autumn to the opposition.

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