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Turkish authorities on Friday detained 10 people, including two mayors from municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), as part of an investigation into an alleged criminal organization known as the “Aziz Ihsan Aktas network,” the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Among those taken into custody were Zeydan Karalar, mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, and Abdurrahman Tutdere, mayor of Adiyaman, both affiliated with CHP.
Tutdere confirmed his detention via social media, stating, “I was taken into custody from my home in Ankara this morning. I am being transferred to Istanbul.” Karalar was reportedly apprehended in Istanbul in connection with the same operation.
The latest wave of arrests follows previous investigations into alleged irregularities involving CHP-affiliated municipalities. Authorities also detained Ahmet Sahin, the acting mayor of Buyukcekmece, who replaced Hasan Akgun after his arrest earlier this year. In addition, lawyer Onur Buyukhatipoglu—who previously represented figures in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality probe—was also detained.
CHP deputy chairman Gokhan Gunaydin condemned the arrests, saying, “Our mayors of Adana and Adiyaman are in custody. One is a true leader for Adana; the other is the hero of Adiyaman, a city forgotten after the Feb. 6 earthquake. If only you cared about justice as much as you care about the stock market. You cannot subdue a nation this way—and you will not succeed.”
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