Turkish authorities detained 47 people on Saturday, including senior officials from İstanbul’s opposition-run municipality and the brother-in-law of suspended Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, according to local media reports.
Police conducted operations at dawn across İstanbul, Ankara, and Tekirdağ as part of an investigation targeting individuals connected to the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, a key opposition stronghold since 2019.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the detainees are suspected of forming and leading a criminal organization, rigging public tenders, bribery, and aggravated fraud.
Among those detained are deputy secretaries-general, department heads, executives from the city’s water utility İSKİ, and Cevdet Kaya, the brother of İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek İmamoğlu.
Detention warrants had been issued for 53 individuals, with a focus on senior staff associated with İmamoğlu’s administration.
In a statement on social media, İmamoğlu criticized the operation, describing it as an attempt to fabricate charges. He said the targeted officials were known for opposing illegal construction and resisting the Kanal İstanbul project, a government-backed artificial waterway project that has faced environmental criticism.
İmamoğlu was suspended and detained on March 19 after a retroactive annulment of his university diploma. He was formally nominated as the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on March 23.
His arrest triggered widespread protests across the country, with security forces using tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators. Approximately 2,000 people were detained, and hundreds were jailed before being released. Protesters have reported allegations of mistreatment during detention and are now facing trial.
The İstanbul municipality has been a symbolic and strategic center for the opposition following İmamoğlu’s victories in the 2019 and 2024 municipal elections. In last year’s local elections, the CHP secured the largest share of the national vote for the first time in 47 years.
The Turkish government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and that the recent detentions are based on credible allegations.
International observers and rights groups have expressed concern over what they describe as Turkey’s drift toward authoritarian rule.
