In the early hours of Tuesday morning (February 11), several opposition-controlled municipalities were raided as part of an ‘anti-terror operation’ initiated by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor. Deputy mayors from Istanbul’s Kartal and Ataşehir districts were arrested in the operation, along with eight other officials belonging to Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Seven of detainees are reportedly CHP representatives from local district city councils including Üsküdar, Sancaktepe, Fatih, Tuzla, Adalar, Şişli, and Beyoğlu.
An announcement from the prosecutor’s office read: “As part of the operation carried out at 06:00am on 11/02/2025, all suspects were caught and detained, and organizational documents and other criminal evidence were collected. Search operations are continuing in the residences of the suspects, and in the workplaces belonging to suspects [Kartal and Ataşehir deputy mayors] C.Y. and L.G.”
The announcement from the prosecutor’s office also alleged that a cooperation plan between the CHP and the pro-Kurdish DEM Party had been designed by the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The PKK is classified by Ankara as a terrorist organization and has been involved in varying levels of conflict with Turkish forces since the 1980s, especially in the country’s southeast.
A separate investigation also targeting Kartal municipality involving the unlawful leasing of municipality-owned real estate was also announced early Tuesday. The investigation targets Kartal district mayor Gökhan Yüksel as well as 20 other defendants.
Reaction from İmamoğlu
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is also currently under investigation, released a statement early Tuesday condemning the arrests and calling for early elections:
“These officials have been carrying out their duties in a normal fashion and then are suddenly declared ‘terrorists’ once the elections are over…We demand early elections in order to deliver Turkey the democracy and prosperity that it deserves.”
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Turkey: Crackdown on opposition continues with new arrests, investigations
Numerous elected officials from the CHP and DEM parties have been removed, arrested, and investigated in recent months, often on alleged terrorism connections. While this practice has been widespread for years towards pro-Kurdish politicians, particularly in southeastern Anatolia, the recent targeting of CHP politicians has marked a notable shift.
In late October, the CHP’s Istanbul-Esenyurt district mayor Ahmer Özer was deposed and arrested on alleged ties to the PKK.
Shortly thereafter, DEM Party mayors from the southeastern cities of Mardin, Batman, and Halfeti were also removed and replaced with government-appointed trustees.
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In early January, the CHP’s Istanbul-Beşiktaş district mayor Rıza Akpolat was detained in a corruption investigation alleged by the opposition to have been politically motivated. The same day, two DEM Party co-mayors from the Mediterranean city of Mersin were also removed and detained.
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Turkey: Crackdown on opposition
Ümit Özdağ, chairman of the anti-immigration Victory Party (Zafer Partisi), was arrested on January 21st on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a party meeting on January 19th.
Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu, widely viewed as President Erdoğan’s most serious rival, has also been under mounting pressure from numerous investigations that threaten to remove him from office. Two investigations from 2019 and 2023 have yet to be resolved, and January saw the opening of two fresh cases against the mayor.
One case charges İmamoğlu with threatening Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek in remarks made at a panel in late January, while the other case opened the following week stems from İmamoğlu’s allegations that a 2023 case against him was prepared using falsified prosecutor reports.
The CHP’s recent choice to make an early presidential candidate selection has been partially viewed as an attempt to shield İmamoğlu from legal prosecution. The Istanbul mayor is one of the most likely challengers to President Erdoğan in Turkey’s next presidential elections.
Van mayor sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison
Shortly after the arrests in Istanbul Tuesday morning, news broke that Abdullah Zeydan, mayor of the southeastern city of Van and member of the DEM Party, had been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison on alleged terrorism connections.
In a controversial episode following Zeydan’s election victory in March 2024, the mayor-elect was disqualified only to be reinstated just days later. The decision to disqualify Zeydan and award the mayoral victory to the second-place Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate had caused major protests in Van.
Following Tuesday’s news of Zeydan’s prison sentence, protests in Van were banned for 15 days.
In a statement following the news, Zeydan promised to “Protect the will of the people of Van.”
Written for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
