A wide-ranging arrest campaign targets the opposition in Turkey.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Exclusive

Arab Sea - Agencies: On Friday, Turkish police arrested 40 people in the Istanbul municipality, which is considered a stronghold of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), including the mayor of the Beyoğlu district and a number of his close advisors, according to Turkish media. This new wave of arrests on charges of "corruption" falls within a series of arrests targeting the Republican People's Party, which is considered the most prominent Turkish opposition party, for months. The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is considered the most prominent opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested in March and sentenced to prison. His arrest sparked an unprecedented wave of protests in the country in 12 years. Also, 9 of the 26 mayors belonging to the Republican People's Party in Istanbul have been arrested since October, on charges mostly related to corruption, charges they deny. Analysts believe that the government is seeking to weaken the Republican People's Party, which emerged victorious in the local elections held in the spring of 2024, at the expense of Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party.