Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has launched a huge crackdown to strengthen his grip on power by detaining his most serious political rival, raiding the homes of 106 opponents and banning protests for four days.
The authorities’ primary target was Ekrem İmamoğlu, the highly popular opposition mayor of Istanbul, who had been expected to emerge as the presidential candidate for the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the coming days.
The original move against İmamoğlu had focused on whether his university diploma was valid — something that would be necessary for running for the presidency.
The investigation snowballed on Wednesday, however, when he was arrested on charges of extortion, bribery, fraud and being both the leader and member of a criminal organization. He was also accused of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
The move against İmamoğlu came as part of a broader operation in which the homes of journalists, CHP politicians, businessmen and even a singer were raided.