2 mayors arrested in southern Turkey as part of crackdown on opposition
Abdurrahman Tutdere, the mayor of Adiyaman, and Zeydan Karalar, who heads Adana municipality, were detained in early morning raids, according to Anadolu Agency. Both are members of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP.
Karalar was arrested in Istanbul and Tutdere was arrested in the capital, Ankara, where he has a home. Tutdere posted on X that he was being taken to Istanbul.
In total, 10 people were arrested as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into allegations involving organized crime, bribery and bid-rigging.
Details of the charges against them were not immediately released by prosecutors but the operation follows the arrests of scores of officials from municipalities controlled by the CHP in recent months.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely considered the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's 22-year rule, was jailed four months ago over corruption allegations.
The former CHP mayor of Izmir, Turkey's third-largest city, and 137 municipal officials were detained earlier this week as part of an investigation into alleged tender-rigging and fraud. On Friday, ex-mayor Tunc Soyer and 59 others were jailed pending trial in what Soyer's lawyer described as 'a clearly unjust, unlawful and politically motivated decision.'
Also Friday, it was reported by state-run media that the CHP mayor of Manavgat, a Mediterranean resort city in Antalya province, and 34 others were detained over alleged corruption.
CHP officials have faced waves of arrests this year that many consider aimed at neutralizing Turkey's main opposition party. The government insists prosecutors and the judiciary act independently but the arrest of Istanbul's Imamoglu led to the largest street protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade.
Imamoglu was officially nominated as his party's presidential candidate following his imprisonment. Turkey's next election is due in 2028 but could come sooner.
The crackdown comes a year after the CHP made significant gains in local elections. Adiyaman, which was severely affected by the 2023 earthquake, was among several cities previously considered strongholds for Erdogan to fall to the opposition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
12 minutes ago
- CBS News
Man arrested following brief police chase in Menifee
Police arrested a man after a brief pursuit in Menifee on Friday. They were called to the 29000 block of Peacock Mountain Drive just after 8 a.m. after receiving reports of a man possibly armed with a gun in the area, according to the Menifee Police Department. Officers arrived and learned that the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Joe Felix Jr., was the subject of a court-issued restraining order that forbid him from being within 100 yards of the unidentified victim, police said. Police say that Felix Jr. left the scene prior to their arrival, but with help from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department aerial unit, they found him as he was traveling westbound on Newport Road towards Lake Elsinore. An unmarked unit began to follow his vehicle, while at the same time sheriff's units attempted to perform a traffic stop near Railroad Canyon Road and the I-15 Freeway. Felix Jr. did not stop, however, prompting a pursuit to begin. As Felix Jr. began to drive back towards the victim's home in Menifee, officers used tire-deflation devices called stop sticks to deflate all four tires on his vehicle. He was arrested without further incident. No injuries were reported in the incident. Felix Jr. was booked on suspicion of a court order violation, evading a peace officer and having outstanding local warrants for vandalism and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. He was being held in lieu of $50,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, July 9.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Westminster man arrested after robbing woman at gunpoint
A man was arrested for robbing a woman at gunpoint in Westminster earlier this week, police said. The incident happened at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when officers were called to the 6500 block of Westminster Boulevard, according to the Westminster Police Department. Upon arrival, they spoke with the female victim, who told them that a man had held her at gunpoint and demanded money. He then fled from the area on foot with more than $3,000 in cash, police said. Investigators were able to retrieve surveillance footage from a nearby business, which showed the suspect, whom they identified as 50-year-old Westminster man Jose Luis Carrillo Gonzales, entering a white pickup truck before fleeing the area. "At approximately 10:00 PM, officers located the unoccupied suspect vehicle in the area of Beach Boulevard and Garden Grove Boulevard," Westminster police said in a news release. "A short time later, Gonzales was observed returning to the vehicle. Officers conducted a traffic stop and detained Gonzales without incident." Officers said that he was in possession of more than $2,000 in cash, and after obtaining a search warrant for his residence, they found "additional evidence believed to have been used in the robbery." Gonzales was booked for robbery and assault with a firearm. Anyone who knows more is asked to contact the Westminster Police Department.
Wall Street Journal
4 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Turkish Police Detain Three More Mayors From Party Opposed to Erdogan
ISTANBUL—Turkish police detained the opposition-affiliated mayors of three important cities on Saturday, widening a clampdown on political rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the arrest of Istanbul's mayor earlier this year. The government has said the detentions are part of an investigation into alleged corruption in opposition-controlled municipalities. Officials of the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), have disputed the charges.
