Istanbul鈥檚 prosecutor on Saturday ordered the arrest of dozens of city officials in an opposition-held part of the metropolis, media reported, the latest blow to hit Turkey鈥檚 embattled opposition party.
Authorities have launched multiple investigations into the Republican People鈥檚 Party during the past year, in what the CHP says is a state-led campaign to defang the only party capable of defeating the ruling party at the ballot box.
Over the past year, a growing number of elected CHP officials have been detained on 鈥榯error鈥� or graft allegations, including Istanbul鈥檚 popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, whose jailing sparked Turkey鈥檚 worst street protest in a decade.
On Saturday, some 48 city councillors in Bayrampasa, an Istanbul district that CHP won in the last election, were ordered detained on corruption charges, the state Anadolu news agency reported.
District mayor Hasan Mutlu and his deputy, Lutfi Kadiogullari, were detained early on Saturday on charges of 鈥榚xtortion, corruption, aggravated fraud and rigging of tenders鈥� and authorities were searching city hall offices, the NTV private television channel reported.
鈥楾he people of Bayrampa艧a elected Hasan Mutlu. But they couldn鈥檛 support that,鈥� CHP鈥檚 chief official in Istanbul, Ozgur Celik, wrote on X, in an apparent reference to the authorities.
鈥楾hey respect neither the election results nor the ballot box nor the will of the people.鈥�
Celik was himself dismissed on September 2 by a Turkish court as part of a case for alleged irregularities during the congress at which he was elected in 2023.
On Monday, an Ankara court will hold a hearing that could invalidate the result of the CHP鈥檚 2023 congress on grounds of alleged fraud and oust national party leader Ozgur Ozel.
