ANKARA: Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on the country’s opposition.
Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney’s bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported.
Beyoglu district is held by the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP. Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, beginning with the targeting of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu in March.
A popular opposition figure, Imamoglu is widely regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule and is the CHP’s candidate for a presidential election due in 2028.
Critics argue the legal actions are politically motivated, aimed at undermining the CHP’s growing influence. Erdogan’s government insists the courts operate independently without political interference.
Istanbul and a string of major cities fell to the CHP in 2019, with the opposition further extending its control in last year’s municipal elections.
Imamoglu’s jailing led to the largest protests in Turkey for more than a decade, with demonstrators denouncing a democratic backsliding under Erdogan.