Istanbul (Turkey), July 5 (LaPresse) – The mayors of three major cities in southern Turkey have been arrested, according to state media reports, adding to the growing list of opposition figures detained since March, the month when the mayor of Istanbul was jailed.
Abdurrahman Tutdere, mayor of Adiyaman, and Zeydan Karalar, head of the municipality of Adana, were arrested during a raid in the early morning hours, according to the Anadolu Agency. Both are members of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party.
CHP mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, was arrested along with two other suspects in a separate corruption investigation conducted by the Antalya Chief Prosecutor's Office, also reported by Anadolu.
Karalar was arrested in Istanbul, and Tutdere was detained in the capital, Ankara, where he owns a residence. Tutdere posted on X that he was being transferred to Istanbul.
Ten people, including Karalar and Tutdere, were arrested as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office into allegations of organized crime, corruption, and bid-rigging.
The details of the charges have not yet been disclosed by the Prosecutor's Office, but the operation follows the arrests of dozens of officials from CHP-controlled municipalities in recent months.
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