ISTANBUL — On Saturday, Istanbul authorities apprehended 47 individuals during early morning raids connected to a corruption probe, which previously led to the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor and sparked the largest protests in Turkey since over a decade ago.
Arrests took place not only in Istanbul but also in the neighboring Tekirdag province and Ankara, with local reports indicating that high-ranking officials from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were among those taken into custody.
The arrest in March of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who poses a significant challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-standing rule, triggered mass demonstrations in Turkish cities. Many citizens view his detention as politically driven. Nonetheless, the government maintains that Turkey’s judiciary operates independently.
According to a statement by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, simultaneous operations targeted 53 suspects, five of whom remain at large. Authorities continue to search residences and offices.
Protests decrying Imamoglu’s imprisonment and broader democratic issues resulted in over 2,000 arrests last month, with many detainees being students, alongside journalists and union members.
While still incarcerated, Imamoglu, who is accused of terror-related offenses in a separate inquiry initiated last month, was chosen as the presidential candidate for his party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Although elections are slated for 2028, they could occur sooner.
The legal proceedings against him, inclusive of those predating March, may lead to his political disqualification.
Reports from Cumhuriyet, a newspaper supporting CHP, indicated Saturday’s detainees included the deputy secretary-general of Istanbul’s municipality, Imamoglu’s private secretary, and the leader of the city’s water services. CHP’s senior official Gokhan Gunaydin remarked that these arrests are rendering the municipality “practically nonfunctional.”
The spouse of Imamoglu’s aide was also apprehended on Saturday. This aide was part of approximately 100 arrests during March’s operations and is still in detention.
Though on a smaller scale, protests against the so-called “March 19 coup” persist. On Saturday, the Ankara governor’s office reported that 30 individuals were detained during a protest the night before. The CHP was scheduled to organize a rally later that day in Mersin, a city on the Mediterranean coast.
In the 2019 local elections, the CHP captured several large cities and further extended its influence in last year’s elections. Imamoglu’s victory in Istanbul put an end to 25 years of dominance by Erdogan’s party and its predecessors.