Turkish authorities order detention of dozens of opposition officials

31/5/2025 17:23

Turkish authorities ordered the detention of several opposition party members in Istanbul and raided opposition-run municipalities on Saturday, state media said, part of a widening legal crackdown against the opposition and city's jailed mayor.



Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is also President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and leads him in some polls, was jailed in March pending trial over charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, all of which he denies.



The arrest of the mayor, from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), triggered mass protests, economic turmoil, and broad accusations of government influence over the judiciary and anti-democratic applications. The government denies this and says the judiciary is independent.



Since Imamoglu's arrest, authorities have detained dozens of CHP members, officials from the Istanbul municipality, and other CHP-run municipalities. Access to Imamoglu's X account was also blocked in Turkey this month.



On Saturday, the state-owned Anadolu news agency and private broadcaster NTV reported that detention warrants had been issued for 47 people in four separate graft investigations, with 28 of those being detained.