In Turkey, a mayor named Riza Akpolat from the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was arrested. He is accused of cheating in public contracts and bribing officials, an accusation he denies. His party claims these accusations are just an attempt to harm the party’s reputation.
Akpolat has been in police custody since Monday as part of a larger investigation into a group suspected of manipulating public tenders. Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who is also from the CHP and could challenge President Erdogan in the future, mentioned that this investigation might be targeting him too.
Imamoglu said that if the investigation is about him, there’s no need to suffer his friends. In 2022, Imamoglu was given a 31-month prison sentence for insulting public officials when he criticized a decision that canceled a round of elections. He has appealed this decision, which if not reversed, could prevent him from being involved in politics for five years.
Another CHP mayor from Istanbul has been in jail since October on terrorism charges. Many believe that the Turkish justice system is being used to punish people who oppose the government, while the government insists that judges are independent.
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