On Saturday morning, Istanbul police detained 47 people in the framework of an investigation into a corruption case, which led to the imprisonment of the mayor of the city of Ekrem Imammagl. These arrests have caused a new wave of indignation in the country that has been experiencing the biggest protests in the last decade.
About it reports the Associated Press with reference to the local prosecutor's office.
Among the detainees were high -ranking Istanbul municipality officials, as well as officials from the neighboring province of Tekrdag and the capital of Ankara. According to Istanbul Prosecutor's Office, the operations were performed simultaneously with respect to 53 suspects, six of which are currently in large. The searches in their homes and offices continue.
The arrest of March 19, the arrest of March 19 was the impetus for mass demonstrations across the country. Hundreds of thousands of people went outside, protesting against, according to many, politically motivated business. Official Ankara insists on the independence of the judicial system.
It should be reminded that Mammamoglu, the chief rival of the incumbent President Recep Taiip Erdogan, is currently in prison. He was also charged with terrorism in a separate investigation. Despite his imprisonment, he was nominated by a presidential candidate from the Republican People's Party (CHP). The presidential election is scheduled for 2028, but analysts do not exclude their transfer.
According to Cumhuriyet, the deputy Secretary -General of the Istanbul Municipality, the personal secretary of the Imamamoglu and the head of the city water supply company. They also detained the wife of one of the advisers of the mayor, who himself was arrested before.
According to the senior deputy from ChP Gohan Gunaidin, the work paralyzed the work of the Istanbul city administration.
Protests against the March 19 coup continue today, although it is a smaller scale. On Friday evening, another 30 people were detained in Ankara during the rallies. Meanwhile, the Republican People's Party plans to hold a large rally in Merced.
The victory of Mammalla in the mayor elections in 2019 marked the completion of the 25-year dominance of Erdogan's party in Istanbul. Opposition success at the local level in recent years have become a serious challenge for the current authorities, which, according to analysts, has caused the current repression.