Turkey detains 30 as government crackdown on opposition deepens: What to know
Detainees include officials from Istanbul and Antalya municipalities and their family members as part of an ongoing corruption investigation into the Republican People’s Party (CHP) that critics say is politically motivated.
ANKARA — Turkish police on Tuesday detained 30 people, including officials from Istanbul and Antalya municipalities and their family members, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation into Republican People’s Party (CHP) municipalities, which saw the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March.
The new detentions are part of an unprecedented judicial crackdown on the country’s main opposition party, which government critics describe as politically motivated.
Turkish authorities issued detention warrants on Tuesday for 14 people accused of extortion, bribery and fraud, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Istanbul police rounded up 13 suspects in the city, Anadolu said. Police were still searching for one other as of this writing, according to Anadolu.
Separately, 17 people were detained as part of a corruption investigation into the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality in July, which saw the arrest of Antalya Mayor Muhittin Bocek, Anadolu reported.
