The Daily Populous Sunday June 1st, 2025 night edition
Authored by bbc.com and submitted by drjjoyner

Turkey arrests dozens including opposition party members

The arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, has triggered unrest in the region.

The operation is the fifth wave of arrests against the government's political opponents, starting with the jailing of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, regarded as President Tayyip Erdogan's main rival in March.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued detention orders for 47 people and detained 30. Others detained included local municipal mayors and Istanbul officials.

Turkish authorities have ordered the arrests of dozens of people facing corruption allegations, including opposition party members, in Istanbul and the city of Adana.

Imamoglu sent a letter from prison to an opposition rally on Saturday, saying: "It is time to say "enough is enough" to this unjust and unlawful order."

"Now you are taking our district mayors with fictitious excuses. What will you do? Where will you stop? Are you going to throw 16 million Istanbulites in jail one by one?" he said in the letter.

Imamoglu is part of the Republican People's Party (CHP), who have been leading in many polls against Erdogan's Justice and Development Party.

He was jailed over charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group. He has denied all charges.

His arrest triggered mass protests and arrests across Turkey. The Istanbul prosecutor's office has said 819 people arrested in protests will be tried in 20 criminal investigations.

Some 110 people were arrested in the first four waves of arrests under corruption allegations.

The fifth wave on Saturday consisted of four different operations in two cities. Municipal mayors, CHP party members and city officials were among those arrested.

CHP Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner wrote on X that he was in Ankara for a party meeting when his wife called and told him that the house was searched and there was a detention order against him. He said he was going to Istanbul.

The UN's human rights office said in March it was "very concerned" at the mass arrests, with Amnesty International at the time calling the detentions "draconian actions".

Bananaseverywh4r on May 31st, 2025 at 14:58 UTC »

Turkey has fallen. Insane I never see this make the news

Top-Information6787 on May 31st, 2025 at 14:50 UTC »

Elections in Turkey over the past decade have been rigged. Erdogan systematically sidelined genuine challengers, allowing only divisive or weakened opposition figures to enter the race.

Even under these conditions, he has never secured more than 52% of the vote—hardly a mandate for someone claiming to represent the whole country.

He has no future, he is old, he is declining physically and mentally. He will have no legacy, he could have some if he had left 10 years ago, he missed that.

_Machine_Gun on May 31st, 2025 at 14:03 UTC »

Erdogan is a tyrant. Turkey should be boycotted and sanctioned until Erdogan agrees to leave power.