New crackdown on opposition in Istanbul
Istanbul prosecutors ordered the arrest of 48 officials from the Bayrampasa municipality, a district led by the main opposition party, on Saturday, citing corruption charges, Anadolu state news agency reported.
The mayor, Hasan Mutlu, elected from Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and his deputy, Lutfi Kadiogullari, were taken into custody Saturday morning for “extortion, corruption, aggravated fraud, and bid-rigging.” A search was also conducted at the municipal offices, according to the private news channel NTV.
“Oz residents of Bayrampasa elected Hasan Mutlu. Yet they cannot tolerate him. They do not respect the election results, the ballots, or the will of the people,” CHP Istanbul head Ozgur Celik wrote on X. Celik himself was removed from office on September 2 by a Turkish court for alleged irregularities during the 2023 party congress.
The CHP has faced increasing judicial pressure, with numerous investigations and arrests targeting its elected officials. This includes the Istanbul municipality, Turkey’s largest city, whose mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, has been imprisoned since March.
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