Istanbul Mayor, 47 Officials Nabbed in Corruption Sting
Turkey’s opposition faces intensifying government crackdown.
Turkish authorities escalated their crackdown on the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Saturday, detaining Bayrampasa district mayor Hasan Mutlu and 47 other officials in Istanbul over allegations of corruption. The arrests, part of a broader probe into extortion, bribery, fraud, and bid rigging at the Bayrampasa municipality, signal an intensifying campaign against the CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party, ahead of crucial political battles.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office ordered the detentions, targeting what it claims is systemic corruption within CHP-run municipalities. Hasan Mutlu, the embattled mayor, vehemently denied the allegations in a statement posted on X, calling them “political operations and baseless slander.” He appealed to Bayrampasa residents, stating, “Together, we will overcome these slanders and acts of dishonesty,” framing the arrests as an attempt to undermine the opposition’s credibility.
The CHP has faced relentless pressure in recent months, with over a dozen mayors, including Istanbul’s high-profile mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, arrested on similar corruption charges. Imamoglu, seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief rival for the 2028 presidential elections, was jailed earlier this year, sparking widespread protests across Turkey. The opposition alleges that these arrests are politically motivated, designed to weaken their momentum following significant gains in the 2024 local elections, where the CHP secured control of key municipalities, including 26 of Istanbul’s 39 districts.
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A pivotal court ruling scheduled for Monday could further destabilize the CHP. The case, which may annul the party’s 2023 Congress, threatens to upend its leadership structure and leave it in disarray, potentially paving the way for Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) to extend its 22-year dominance. The CHP has accused the government of orchestrating a judicial offensive to suppress dissent, while Turkish officials insist the courts operate independently and are targeting genuine corruption.
The wave of arrests has heightened tensions in Turkey, with critics arguing that the government is exploiting legal mechanisms to silence opposition voices. The detention of Mutlu and his colleagues follows a pattern of raids and investigations that have seen hundreds of CHP officials and affiliates detained since late 2024. As public frustration grows, the crackdown risks further polarizing Turkey’s political landscape, with the CHP vowing to resist what it calls an undemocratic assault on its ranks.
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