Turkey: Five More CHP Mayors Jailed After İmamoğlu

The crackdown by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on opposition figures continues as five more mayors from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party, have been sent to jail. According to a CHP representative, three of these mayors lead districts in Istanbul. Additionally, 17 individuals, including deputy mayors of Istanbul districts, were detained over the weekend and placed under temporary custody on corruption charges. This development follows the imprisonment of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, who has been in jail since late March. Since late October, eight district mayors from Istanbul belonging to the CHP have also been arrested and detained. Observers suggest that the government is attempting to weaken the CHP, which emerged victorious in the local elections of spring 2024 against Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP). The CHP managed to retain control of Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, Turkey’s three largest cities, while increasing its influence even in conservative regions. The arrest of İmamoğlu, considered Erdoğan’s most significant rival, sparked widespread controversy within the country.