ANKARA: Turkish authorities ordered the detention of several opposition party members in Istanbul and raided opposition-run municipalities on Saturday, state media said, part of a widening legal crackdown against the opposition and city’s jailed mayor.
Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is also President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival and leads him in some polls, was jailed in March pending trial over charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, all of which he denies.
The arrest of the mayor, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), triggered mass protests, economic turmoil, and broad accusations of government influence over the judiciary and anti-democratic applications. The government denies this and says the judiciary is independent.