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."

Middle East Madness > Sharia rules Syria's temporary constitution; Syrian cleric explains how to slaughter Alawites; Turkey arrests Erdogan's political foes

 

Syria: President signs temporary constitution 

establishing Sharia rule for five years

Mar 15, 2025 3:00 pm By Robert Spencer

Not that al-Sharaa has the slightest intention of relinquishing power or establishing a secular state in five years’ time.

Syria’s interim president signs constitution enshrining Islamist rule for 5 years

by Ghaith Alsayed and Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press, March 14, 2025:

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule while promising to protect the rights of all Syrians for five years during a transitional phase.

The nation’s interim rulers have struggled to exert their authority across much of Syria since the Islamist former insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, led a lightning insurgency that overthrew longtime President Bashar Assad in December.

Former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now the country’s interim president — a decision that was announced after a meeting of the armed groups that took part in the offensive against Assad. At the same meeting, the groups agreed to repeal the country’s old constitution and said a new one would be drafted.

While many were happy to see an end to the Assad family’s dictatorial rule of more than 50 years in the war-torn country, religious and ethnic minorities have been skeptical of the new Islamist leaders and reluctant to allow Damascus under its new authorities to assert control of their areas.

Abdulhamid Al-Awak, one of the seven members of the committee al-Sharaa tasked to draft the temporary constitution, told a news conference Thursday that it would maintain some previsions from the previous one, including the stipulation that the head of state has to be a Muslim and Islamic law is the main source of jurisprudence.

But Al-Awak, a constitutional law expert who teaches at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkey, also said that the temporary constitution includes provisions that enshrine freedom of expression and the media….

Sure!  

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Syria: Muslim cleric in mosque explains

methods of slaughtering Alawites

Mar 15, 2025 9:00 am By Robert Spencer

Imagine the international publicity that would ensue if a priest or a rabbi or a cleric of any other religion explained methods of killing those who did not believe, while sitting in a house of worship. But no one will take any particular notice of this. Now, why is that? Why has the establishment media decided that the image of Islam must be protected at all costs? Who is paying them?

Much to my Sorrow, by George, I have no idea!

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Erdogan's government arrests Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Turkish political crackdown

By Doug Cunningham

Political opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was in Turkish police custody Wednesday, arrested days before being chosen as the presidential candidate for the Republican People's Party. He said it is an attempt to use security forces "to usurp the will of our nation." File Photo by Sedat Suna/ EPA-EFE

March 19 (UPI) -- Political opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was in Turkish police custody Wednesday after he was arrested days before being chosen as the presidential candidate for the Republican People's Party.

"I'm sorry to say, a handful of minds trying to usurp the will of our nation have used my beloved police officers, the security forces of this country, as instruments of evil, and have gathered hundreds of police officers at the door of my home, the home of 16 million Istanbulites," Imamoglu said.

"We are facing great bullying, but I want you to know that I will not give up. I love you all so much. I entrust myself to my nation. Let all my nation know that I will stand tall."

One of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's most powerful political rivals, Imamoglu is accused by prosecutors of alleged corruption and aiding a terrorist group.

Related

• Imprisoned PKK founder calls for it to disarm, 'dissolve itself' for peace with Turkey
• Turkey's opposition party scores key local election wins
• Erdogan's ruling party suffers losses in Turkey's 3 largest cities

His arrest came against a backdrop of a nationwide Turkish crackdown on political opposition figures.

Erdogan's government rounded up and detained 100 other alleged suspects including journalists, politicians and businessmen.

In other online and social media statements, Imamoglu said "the will of the people cannot be silenced" as he vowed to uphold democracy and justice worldwide by standing firm in a fight for fundamental rights and freedoms.

Erdogan has held political power for 22 years. and critics allege he is an authoritarian.

"The authoritarian and highly centralized presidential government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set back Turkey's human rights record by decades, targeting perceived government critics and political opponents, profoundly undermining the independence of the judiciary, and hollowing out democratic institutions," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Istanbul's prosecutor's office claimed in a statement that Imamoglu has allegedly aided the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK, through a political agreement with the pro-Kurdish People's Freedom and Democratic Party.

If the Kurdish People's Freedom and Democratic Party is a legal party, then how can working with them be illegal? This corruption is worthy of a third-world country.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said Imamoglu allegedly helped the PKK, "by knowingly participating in the urban consensus activity, which aimed to increase the effectiveness of the terrorist organization in metropolitan areas, as stated by the management."

The urban consensus is a political agreement to join together to support the same candidate in several Istanbul municipal election districts.

The political crackdown follows big losses by Erdogan's party in last year's local elections, spearheaded by Imamoglu's opposition party Istanbul mayoral win.