Overview

• The Izmir public prosecutor issued 157 detention warrants on July 1 in a probe into alleged corruption, tender rigging and fraud within the city administration.
• Authorities have arrested more than 150 CHP-affiliated officials, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and provincial leader Senol Aslanoglu.
• The operation marks the first major spread of the judicial campaign against the opposition since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest in March.
• The government asserts that the judiciary acted independently while the CHP and several Western governments condemn the detentions as politically driven.
• Analysts warn the sweeping legal measures form part of President Erdogan’s strategy to neutralize electoral challengers as Turkey’s economy remains under strain.