What's behind Erdogan's political crackdown on Turkey's opposition? | DW News

Turkish police on Wednesday morning detained Istanbul's mayor – a powerful opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. Ekrem Imamoglu has served as the mayor of Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, for the past six years - and is one of Turkey's most popular politicians. Authorities in Turkey have also seized the construction company owned Imamoglu. His detention has caused public outcry and is widely seen as a dramatic escalation in an ongoing crackdown on the opposition in Turkey. Imamolglu was considered the likely top rival to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Protesters were out in force on Wednesday, despite a government ban on protests, as opposition groups labeled the arrest as a 'coup attempt against Turkey's next president'. Imamoglu is already facing several other legal cases. Our correspondent Julia Hahn has more.

For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/

Follow DW on social media:
►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews
►TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dwnews
►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/
►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews

Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1

Post from DW News on March 20, 2025

View Original Post