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Posted on 07/03/2025 5:11:14 PM PDT by george76
The former mayor of Izmir, a stronghold of opposition to President Erdogan, along with 109 municipal officials from the Republican People's Party (CHP), were arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption and misconduct. The party has rejected the accusations.
There is a feeling of déjà vu in Turkey. After the publication of a political cartoon, which Turkish authorities said depicted the Prophet Muhammad, led to the arrest of four journalists on Monday, June 30, in Istanbul, authorities carried out a large-scale sweep in Izmir at dawn on Tuesday. Izmir, the country's third-largest city, is a bastion of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party. 109 municipal officials affiliated with the CHP were arrested. The operation strongly recalled the events of March 19, when, at dawn, the CHP mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main opponent, was taken into custody along with 104 elected officials, associates and staff members.
With their hands cuffed behind their backs, the suspects were taken into custody by law enforcement officers. Scenes like these unfolded throughout Izmir, affecting everyone from top local leaders to municipal employees. All faced charges of corruption and misconduct. Among those newly detained were Tunç Soyer, former mayor of Izmir's metropolitan municipality (2019-2024), several former officials and the current provincial president of the CHP, Senol Aslanoglu.
In total, 157 arrest warrants were issued, according to local media. The Izmir prosecutor's office announced that it was still searching for 48 individuals. Murat Bakan, vice president of the CHP, said, "These arrests, which took place at dawn, are the result of a clear political choice." In a lengthy message posted on his X account, he added: "We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul." The accusations against these individuals, he continued, had already "been investigated; there is no suspicion of corruption." "What we are witnessing today," he asserted, "is not the result of the law, but of a judicial system that acts on instructions. We are fighting for an independent judiciary. But, given the facts, we see that this remains only wishful thinking."
'Discrediting the opposition'..
In addition to those already mentioned, the NTV news channel and the daily newspaper BirGün reported the arrests of a former secretary general of the metropolitan municipality, the head of a local public works company and a member of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce. "The government is using the judiciary, which it has turned into its own court, as a weapon. The goal is not to fight corruption, but to discredit the opposition in order to win back votes, silence our municipalities and shape politics," said CHP vice president Burhanettin Bulut in a statement. He also pointed out that the police operation came as the government was taking legal action against the party founded by the "father" of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, for "fraud."
The CHP was accused in a lawsuit of having paid voters during its congress in November 2023 to secure the election of its current leader, Özgür Özel – an allegation the party denied. The trial, which opened Monday in an Ankara court, was postponed until September 8. Many voices expressed concern about the possible removal of its leader, who has become the spokesperson for nationwide protests since the imprisonment of the Istanbul mayor. "Behind this judicial case lies a broader political maneuver," said Yavuz Baydar, a Turkish journalist and intellectual exiled in France. "Erdogan, who seeks to extend his presidency indefinitely, seems determined to eliminate all barriers to his strategic ambitions." This comes as polls have, for months, placed President Erdogan's party – the Justice and Development Party (AKP) – below 40% in voting intentions, even lower than its crushing defeat in the March 31, 2024 municipal elections, which saw the CHP become the country's leading political force.
These arrests in Izmir came as the region had, for several days, been ravaged by violent wildfires, forcing the evacuation of more than 50,000 people in neighboring districts. "Instead of arresting a former mayor, the authorities would do better to send helicopters and planes to fight the fires. I haven't seen a single one," said a resident of the commune of Gümüldür, south of the city, who preferred to remain anonymous, speaking by phone.
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bttt
No different than what the US, British, French, and the rest of Europe does.
Don’t diss the Turkish regime they are buddies with Lindsey Graham not to mention President Trump.
I wonder if we are allowing the Ottoman Empire to rise again after letting Erdogan get Syria back into the Turkish orbit.
Turkey aligned with Qatar that gave the POTUS a jet airliner not to mention Azerbaijan that helped Israel with airspace to attack Tehran, Iran in the war.
They are following the Democrats’ play book.
The only way to get into Azerbaijan from Israel is to fly over Turkey or Iran first.
Azerbaijan is more than 200 miles northwest of Tehran...
https://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=MSNMAP&cp=40.174733%7E45.209254&lvl=4.9
Also, I thought Turkey dictator Erdogan was on good terms with Iran, and near-violent terms with Israel, or specifically, with Netanyahu?
Thanks for clearing this up.
Under the table nations are friends with Israel the Armenians upset with Israel for providing drones to Azerbaijan in the recent conflict with Armenia.
When the first Zionists arrived in Israel they were under Turkish rule.
David Ben Gurion Israel’s first Prime Minister said he aspired in his youth to go to Istanbul to study Turkish law.
“No different than what the US, British, French, and the rest of Europe does.”
Jan 6th for starters.
“the Republican People’s Party (CHP)” = Kemalists
They hate Erdogan (Islamist).
If they were in power, Erdogan would never be in office.
So THAT is who is calling Biden for advice.
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