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Turkish Prosecutors Detain Three Opposition Mayors in Extortion Probe

Detention of the Adana, Antalya and Adiyaman mayors underscores a widening crackdown that opposition leaders say aims to neutralize challengers to President Erdoğan’s party.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a media conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey, on April 24, 2024. (Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Overview

  • On July 5, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested the mayors of Adana, Antalya and Adiyaman on extortion allegations alongside eight other individuals.
  • The detentions mark the latest phase of a broader investigation that began with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s March incarceration on corruption charges.
  • CHP officials accuse the government of weaponizing judicial powers to sideline political rivals after the party’s historic gains in the 2024 local elections.
  • The Justice Ministry and the ruling AKP maintain that prosecutors and the courts operate independently and dismiss claims of politically motivated prosecutions.
  • International observers and domestic critics warn that the expanding probe into opposition figures threatens Turkey’s democratic norms and may affect the timing of upcoming elections.