Corruption is Everywhere > Erdogan arrests members of the secular parliamentary party

 

Turkey detains three more mayors as part of

crackdown on opposition

Asia / Pacific

Turkey on Saturday arrested three more opposition mayors as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in what the main opposition CHP party called a "political operation". The arrests come after more than 120 city hall officials in the city of Izmir were arrested earlier this week and Istanbul's powerful opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was removed from his post in March.

Turkey arrested three more opposition mayors early on Saturday as part of an investigation into alleged graft, officials from the main opposition CHP said, denouncing it as a "political operation".

The early morning arrests were the latest move targeting elected officials of the Republican People's Party (CHP) as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan puts increasing pressure on the party which won a huge victory against his AKP in the 2024 local elections and is rising in the polls.

The arrests were linked to an investigation into alleged graft which resulted in the removal in March of Istanbul's powerful opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, whose jailing sparked mass protests in Turkey's worst street unrest since 2013. 

Imamoglu is Erdogan's biggest political rival and the CHP's candidate for the 2028 presidential race. 

The CHP - The Republican People's Party is a Kemalist and social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president and founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. - Wikipedia.

Democracy is interfering with Erdogan's plan to reestablish the Ottoman Empire with himself as Caliph.

Earlier this week, police arrested more than 120 people as part of a probe into alleged graft in the opposition stronghold of Izmir, Turkey's third city. 

Read moreTurkey arrests more than 120 city hall members in opposition stronghold Izmir

The latest detainees were based in southern Turkey: mayor of the southern city of Adana, Zeydan Karalar, mayor of the resort town of Antalya, Muhittin Bocek, and the mayor of Adiyaman in the southeast, Abdurrahman Tutdere. 

"In a system where the law bends and sways according to politics, where justice is applied for one group and ignored for another, no one should expect us to trust in the rule of law or believe in justice," wrote Mansur Yavas on X, opposition mayor of Ankara, Turkey's capital. 

"We will not bow to injustice, lawlessness, or political operations."

The pro-Kurdish DEM party, the third largest in Turkey's parliament, also denounced the arrests in a strongly-worded statement. 

'Stop persecuting elected officials'

"This persecution of elected officials must stop," wrote DEM co-president Tulay Hatimogullari on X.

"Not respecting the decisions of the people at the ballot box and not recognising the will of the people is causing deep rifts within society," she wrote.

"These operations are not a solution, but block the road to a democratic Turkey."

DEM has in recent months been working closely with Erdogan's government to facilitate moves to end the decades-long conflict with the Kurds, facilitating talks which in May saw Kurdish PKK militants ending their bloody armed struggle in a conflict that cost nearly 40,000 lives. 

Read morePKK leader accuses Turkish government of 'seeking to sabotage' disarmament process

Saturday's arrests were the latest in a slew of legal manoeuvres targeting the CHP. 

On Monday, an Ankara court began hearing a case against the party involving allegations of vote-buying at its 2023 leadership primary which could end up overturning the election of CHP's popular leader Ozgur Ozel, who rose to prominence for his role in leading the March protests. 

Anadolu news agency said the Adana and Adiyaman mayors were linked to a case opened by the Istanbul public prosecutors office into alleged tender rigging and bribery. 

Police also arrested the deputy mayor of Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district Ahmet Sahin as part of the same probe, BirGun news website said. 

Antalya's mayor was held over a separate investigation launched by the resort town's chief public prosecutor into allegations of bribery, with police also arresting his son, it said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Middle East Madness > Turkey fighting to save democracy, Erdogan fighting for Caliphate dream - 3 stories, 4 videos

 

Erdogan appears to be fighting for his political life here, but more so, for his ambitious dream of rebuilding the Ottoman Empire. 

Riots break out at Ankara university campus after Erdogan rival detained

Riots broke out at the campus of Ankara's Middle East Technical University as students protested against the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Thousands have been protesting in major Turkish cities for a second night in a row as Imamoglu, President Erdogan's main political rival, called for judges to take a stand against the Turkish government's misuse of the courts. 

FRANCE 24's Jasper Mortimer reports from Ankara.

Thousands protest arrest of Istanbul mayor 

Ekrem Imamoglu had been detained on charges of corruption and alleged terror links

People wave flags and chant slogans during a protest against the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. © Getty Images / Chris McGrath

Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul on Wednesday to decry the arrest of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who is viewed as the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections scheduled for 2028.

Imamoglu, one of the key figures in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was among a hundred people detained earlier in the day on charges of corruption and alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara. The mayor was taken into custody just days before his official nomination as CHP’s presidential candidate.

Following Imamoglu’s arrest, the Turkish authorities imposed a four-day ban on demonstrations, closed down several roads in Istanbul and put restrictions on social media platforms.

However, it did not prevent protesters from taking to the streets, as huge crowds gathered outside Istanbul's police headquarters, City Hall, the main office of the Republican People's Party, and other locations.

The demonstrators carried Turkish national flags and portraits of Ekrem, chanting anti-government slogans and demanding the mayor’s release.

“We came here to support the mayor. They arrested him unjustly,” one of the people in the crowd told Reuters. Another demonstrator complained to AFP that “we are living in a dictatorship.”

There have been reports of minor clashes between the protesters and riot police, with Reuters publishing a video showing the officers using pepper spray to disperse a crowd outside Istanbul University.

Imamoglu wrote in a post on X before his arrest that “the will of the people cannot be silenced through intimidation or unlawful acts,” vowing to continue to “fight for fundamental rights and freedoms.”

During a press conference, CHP’s leader Ozgur Ozel called the mayor’s detention “a coup” and accused Erdogan of being afraid to lose to Imamoglu in the election.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said later that Ozel’s comments were “extremely dangerous and incorrect.”

Erdogan rival arrested days before becoming presidential candidate

The country’s justice system is “impartial and independent” and because of this “linking investigations and cases initiated by the judiciary to our president is, at best, presumptuous and inappropriate,” the minister insisted.

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Turkey arrests 37 for 'provocative' social media posts over Istanbul mayor's arrest

By Doug Cunningham

Turkey arrested 37 people arrested for social media posts deemed "provocative" after the arrest of opposition leader Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival who was about to become a presidential candidate before his arrest. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo

March 20 (UPI) -- Turkey on Thursday arrested 37 people for social media posts deemed "provocative" following the Wednesday arrest of political opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Turkey's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the so-called "provocative posts" were allegedly made "within the scope of the crime of "Incitement to Commit a Crime."

"A total of 261 suspicious account managers, 62 of whom were abroad, were identified as having made these posts," the ministry said.

"Following the coordinated work of our Cyber Crime Presidency and Security Department, 37 suspects were caught and efforts to catch the other suspects are ongoing."

Related

• Erdogan's government arrests Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Turkish political crackdown
• Turkey's opposition party scores key local election wins
• Cease-fire halts decades-old conflict between Turkey, Kurds

The ministry said a total of 18,647,269 posts were made on X. Of those the government determined that 66% were from named accounts and 34% were bot accounts.

The ministry did not provide any examples of the allegedly criminal posts.

"We as a nation must stand against this evil. This is my call to my nation...The day has come to speak out," a post on Imamoglu's X account Thursday said.

The post called upon the Turkish judiciary to stand up against the use of the legal system to carry out a crackdown on political opposition.

"You must stand up and take precautions against this handful of colleagues who are ruining the Turkish judiciary, disgracing us to the whole world and destroying our reputation," the post said. "I trust the Great Turkish Judiciary. You cannot and must not remain silent."

People opposed to Mayor Imamoglu's Wednesday arrest as well as the arrests of 106 other people in the crackdown on political opposition say his arrest is a "coup."

Opposition demonstrations are planned even though the government has banned protests for four days as part of the political crackdown.

Imamoglu's opposition political party still controls Istanbul's government even though he is in custody.

In Istanbul, loudspeakers at metro stations played some of Imamoglu's speeches. One excerpt heard over the speakers said, "I promise you with my honor that I am going to win this fight."

University students have protested, but so far not in large numbers compared to Istanbul's 16 million population.

Among the student protesters' chants are a common one heard in Turkey, "We are not scared, we won't be silenced, we will not obey."

According to critics of Erdogan's government, the controversial arrests in this political crackdown are the most clear-cut democracy violations the government has ever carried out.

The controversy has also impacted Turkey's already-troubled economy with markets dropping Wednesday on news of Imamoglu's arrest.

Istanbul economist and consultant Arda Tunca told CNBC, "Turkey has already been in decline, but this is a political free fall. Today is history and a new dimension in Turkey's breakaway from democracy."

Islam in Asia > And yet another prison sentence for Imran Khan; Turkish police arrest P&G hostage taker; Hostility against Sharia Law is hostility against Islam, Erdogan

 

Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan

handed another prison sentence

By Simon Druker

   

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Saturday each received a seven-year sentence for violating the country’s rules over observing a mandatory pause between two marriages. File Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were both sentenced Saturday to seven years in prison for violating the country's rules over observing a mandatory pause between two marriages.

The Islamabad civil court also fined the couple $1,800 each in a case that began after a complaint filed by Bibi's ex-husband, Khawar Maneka.

Maneka alleged Bibi did not observe the proper amount of time, or Iddat period, between unions, engaging in an "un-Islamic" marriage, or nikah.

Arguments in the case wrapped up Friday before the court issued its decision Saturday, finding both Khan and Bibi guilty under the Pakistan penal code.

Khan, 71, remains in custody in a jail in the town of Adiala, while Bibi, 49, was remanded to house arrest Saturday, with the court declaring her home a "sub-jail."

The ruling is the latest legal defeat for Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly in April 2022. He was later stripped of a parliamentary seat days after winning it.

Khan last month was handed a 14-year jail sentence after he was found guilty on corruption charges.

Bibi was given a matching 14-year prison sentence while the couple was collectively fined $5.3 million after being found guilty of retaining or buying and then reselling official state gifts to Pakistan from other countries for personal gain.

Two days earlier, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "willfully" leaking classified state information. At the time, the founder of the populist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was also barred from seeking political office for a term of 10 years.

Khan is currently serving a three-year prison sentence handed down last August after being convicted of corruption charges. The country's election commission also gave him a five-year ban from running for office at the time.

Khan maintains the court proceedings against him are politically motivated.

Is Khan guilty of the charges against him? Probably! But that's life in Pakistan. Anyone can be charged with corruption in Pakistan because it is so prevalent. The only people who are ever charged are political enemies. Pakistan's Deep State is so afraid of Khan that they will keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

"My Pakistanis, the unfolding of the Tosha-khana, Cypher, and Iddat cases only highlights their frivolous, baseless, and politically motivated nature," he wrote in a long post on X on Friday.

"Pakistanis, you must know that all of these cases have no legal basis; they are part of an on-going political circus in the country for the past 22 months. The hasty manner in which all these cases are being concluded, is for only one purpose which is to demoralize the voters, especially the youth.

"Our most powerful and meaningful weapon is that of our vote, and we must wield it to overthrow crooks who have been imposed upon us," Khan said.

Turkish police arrest gunman who took 

7 hostage in protest of Israel war

By Darryl Coote

   

A relative of a hostage waits as Turkish police secure the area of the Procter & Gamble plant after a gunman took a number of people hostage in Gebze district of Kocaeli, Turkey, on Thursday. Officials said Friday that the suspect has been apprehended and the hostages have been rescued. Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Authorities in Turkey have detained a gunman who took seven people hostage at a factory of U.S. manufacturer Procter & Gamble in protest of Israel's war in Gaza, officials said early Friday.

The situation at the factory in the Gebze district of Turkey's northwestern province of Kocaeli began Thursday. The office of Gov. Seddar Yavuz said in a statement Friday that authorities and health officials were dispatched to the site and following hours of failed negotiations, security forces "intervened and neutralized the suspect."

"The hostages were safely rescued and the person who carried out the act has been taken into custody," Yavuz's office said. "A comprehensive investigation into the incident has been initiated."

On X, the governor described the operation that secured the rescue of the hostages as "meticulous."

All hostages were also in good health, he said.

"I congratulate our security units," he added.

His office said that the suspect had taken the seven people hostage in order to "draw attention to the ongoing occupation in Gaza" where Israel has been waging a brutal war against the Iran-backed Hamas since the militant group killed 1,200 Israelis in a surprised attack on Oct. 7

According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza and more than 66,000 injured.

Of course, nothing that comes out of Hamas is ever remotely true.

‘Hostility against Sharia is hostility against Islam,'

says Turkey’s Erdoğan

Duvar English, February 2, 2024:

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 1 commented on the critics of Sharia law, saying “hostility against Sharia Law is hostility against Islam,” during the graduation ceremony at the Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Academy. The president urged new religious officers to become active members of society.

“If you look at history books, you will see that Turk equals Muslim,” Erdoğan asserted and criticized any notion that sought to build “artificial walls” between the two. He continued, “A definition of Turkishness without the inclusion of Islam’s holy war spirit is merely an attempt to turn the Turkish nation into a folklore tale.”

Erdoğan suggested the unidentified enemy’s goal was to “disrupt the fabric of society, and occupy the castle they have surrounded.”

“Shariaphobia” was yet another step in this scheme, the President opined. “Sharia represents the entirety of Islam’s rules on life,” Erdoğan said and warned against who “dared to criticize” it. Ignorance was at the root of the fearlessness against Sharia, according to Erdoğan, who felt sorrow to see a section of society drowning in this “darkness of ignorance.”

Erdoğan urged the newly graduated imams not to limit themselves “within the limits of the mosques and the Quran.” He tasked them to increase their presence in society, as any gap left by imams would be filled by “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), drug dealers, and perverse and deviant movements.”…

Age is creeping up on Erdogan and his time remaining may not be sufficient to fulfill his dream of reestablishing the Ottoman Empire with himself as Caliph. Watch for more aggressive, and provocative moves from Ankara this year.

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