The Turkish police have arrested three more mayors from the country’s largest opposition party, Turkish media report. This marks a new step in the crackdown against the CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party.
According to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, the mayors of Adana (Zeydan Karalar) and Adiyaman (Abdurrahman Tutdere) have been arrested. The newspaper Sözcü reports that the mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Böcek, has also been arrested. This is said to have happened in the context of an investigation into organized crime. Few details about the charges have been released.
The mayors are all three members of the CHP, the largest opposition party in Turkey. The party leader, Ekrem Imamoglu, is the suspended mayor of Istanbul. He was arrested in March on suspicion of bribery.
In recent months, many more supporters and officials of the CHP have been detained. For example, on Tuesday, another 120 people were arrested at the town hall of Izmir.
Although the government claims that the prosecutors and judges are working independently, critics say that the arrests are politically motivated and undemocratic. Imamoglu is seen as Erdogan’s main opponent. His arrest sparked mass protests in various Turkish cities.
After his arrest, Imamoglu was nominated by his party as a presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.