By Euronews
Published on
ADVERTISEMENTAs part of the ongoing operations against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) municipalities, Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar and Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere were detained on Saturday morning.
CHP Deputy Chairman Burhanettin Bulut announced soon after that Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek was also detained.
Bulut said on his social media platform X, «Those who use the judiciary as a stick for political revenge do not care about the law, but about protecting their own power. We will never submit to this dirty system that strikes a blow to the will of the nation,» Bulut said.
«I was detained from my house in Ankara in the morning. I am being taken to Istanbul,» CHP Mayor of Adıyaman Abdurrahman Tutdere said on his X account.
Authorities reportedly executed a raid of the Adana municipality building, backed by a search warrant, which coincided with Mayor Karalar’s detention.
Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against the «Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organisation», arrest warrants were issued for 10 people, including the detained mayors.
Aktaş was detained in investigations targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). The businessman was arrested for allegedly leading a «criminal organisation», before being released on 4 June citing «effective repentance».
Erdoğan previously hinted at corruption in other provinces
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously backed the ongoing operations, saying «the documents are all in the open. Unfortunately, the situation is disastrous not only in Istanbul but also in other provinces,» stressing the need for urgent sweeps to combat corruption.
An investigation against the country’s third largest city of Izmir soon followed. on 1 July, raids of the municipality building were carried out, in which 138 people, including Mayor Tunç Soyer and CHP İzmir Provincial Chairman Şenol Aslanoğlu were detained.
A few days later, on 4 July, 35 more individuals – of a total of 99 with pending arrest warrants – were detained including Heval Savaş Kaya, who heads IZBETON, a concrete production company subsidised by the Izmir municipality.
On the same day an investigation was launched against the CHP-run Antalya and Manavgat provinces. Detention warrants were issued for 36 people, including Manavgat Mayor Niyazi Nefi Kara.
The crackdown started with Istanbul
This legal process against CHP municipalities kicked off with Istanbul. Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on 18 March, one day after his diploma from Istanbul University was revoked, and then arrested on 23 March as part of a corruption and bribery investigation.
İmamoğlu’s arrest came just days before he was set to officially be nominated as the CHP’s presidential candidate in the 2028 elections. The Istanbul mayor is widely regarded as the main political rival to Erdoğan, and his targeting is seen by many as an attempt to eliminate his competition.
Erdoğan denied the allegations as he doubled-down saying tips of widescale corruption came from members within the CHP ranks, and hinted that the party is aware his government is justified in its investigation.
«They know very well that the biggest radishes are still in the saddlebags. This is the reason for their panic,» noted the Turkish president. The «biggest radish is still in the saddlebag» is a Turkish idiom which hints at a bigger leverage or surprise that would be used when necessary.
İmamoğlu was however announced as the CHP’s presidential candidate with nearly 15 million votes on the day of his arrest. He was then forcibly suspended from his post as mayor in a decision announced by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Nuri Aslan, a CHP municipal council member, was selected to replace İmamoğlu in an interim capacity.
The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu’s detention and subsequent arrest turned into the largest demonstrations Turkey has seen in more than a decade.
Protests were met with a harsh police responce, as pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons were deployed to quel the unrest. Protests in other cities, including Izmir and the capital Ankara were also met with a violent crackdown.
More than 2,000 people were detained, including journalists. Some 300 people were arrested after their detentions and charged in court.
