Fresh arrests target Turkey’s opposition-run municipalities

The Turkish government is tightening its grip on the opposition, with fresh arrests yesterday targeting elected officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as it faces a deepening leadership crisis.

Authorities carried out operations targeting CHP-run municipalities in Istanbul’s islands district and in southern Turkey over a range of allegations, including corruption and fraud.

Police conducted simultaneous raids in four cities, detaining 37 of 47 suspects named in arrest warrants, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Among those detained was Adalar (islands) mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat.

The suspects are accused of bribery, embezzlement, forgery of official documents, forming and leading a criminal organisation, and abuse of office, according to the statement.

A separate operation targeted the municipality of Silifke in the southern coastal province of Mersin.

Turkish media reported that several people, including the mayor, were detained as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery, embezzlement, bid-rigging and abuse of office.

The detentions follow a series of operations over the past week against CHP municipalities, including in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu and Silivri districts, as well as in the Seferihisar district in the western city of Izmir.