Cases against opposition politicians mount ahead of Turkish elections

Critics claim the government has weaponized the judiciary to neutralize leading figures in the Republican People’s Party.
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu's poster.
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu's poster is seen during a rally on May 21, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey. - Burak Kara/Getty Images
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Andrew Wilks
@AndyWilks61

ISTANBUL — It’s been a busy week for lawyers representing Turkish opposition politicians. 

Two prominent figures in the center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) — Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the head of the party’s Istanbul branch, Canan Kaftancioglu — have both been involved in cases that many see as attempts to sideline them ahead of elections due in the next 12 months. 

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