Turkish Mayors Detained Amid Widening Crackdown on Opposition

In the latest development of a protracted crackdown in Turkey, authorities have arrested three more mayors from the country's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP). According to a statement from Istanbul's chief prosecutor and various media reports, the mayors of Adana, Adiyaman, and Antalya have been detained on allegations of extortion.

The ongoing investigation has already ensnared hundreds of CHP members, including eleven mayors, since its inception last October. Notably, NTV reported that the mayor of Antalya and a deputy mayor from Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district have also been implicated in this wave of arrests. The CHP has consistently denied the allegations, which they label as politically motivated, a claim the government rejects.

This crackdown follows the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key political adversary of President Tayyip Erdogan, on corruption charges back in March—a move that led to Turkey's largest protests in a decade and affected Turkish financial markets. Imamoglu has denied the charges against him.

(With inputs from agencies.)