Latest news with #Birgun
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Erdogan's sweeping crackdown on opposition sees Istanbul district mayor detained
ANKARA: Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on the country's opposition. Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney's bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported. Beyoglu district is held by the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, beginning with the targeting of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu in March. A popular opposition figure, Imamoglu is widely regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-decade rule and is the CHP's candidate for a presidential election due in 2028. Critics argue the legal actions are politically motivated, aimed at undermining the CHP's growing influence. Erdogan's government insists the courts operate independently without political interference. Istanbul and a string of major cities fell to the CHP in 2019, with the opposition further extending its control in last year's municipal elections. Imamoglu's jailing led to the largest protests in Turkey for more than a decade, with demonstrators denouncing a democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Turkish authorities detain Istanbul district mayor in sweeping crackdown on opposition
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on the country's opposition . Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney's bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported.
4 days ago
- Politics
Turkish authorities detain Istanbul district mayor in sweeping crackdown on opposition
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on the country's opposition. Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney's bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported. Beyoglu district is held by the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, beginning with the targeting of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu in March. A popular opposition figure, Imamoglu is widely regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-decade rule and is the CHP's candidate for a presidential election due in 2028. Critics argue the legal actions are politically motivated, aimed at undermining the CHP's growing influence. Erdogan's government insists the courts operate independently without political interference. Istanbul and a string of major cities fell to the CHP in 2019, with the opposition further extending its control in last year's municipal elections. Imamoglu's jailing led to the largest protests in Turkey for more than a decade, with demonstrators denouncing a democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Turkish authorities detain Istanbul district mayor in sweeping crackdown on opposition
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying a sweeping crackdown on the country's opposition. Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney's bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported.
NBC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Police in Turkey detain satirical magazine employees over Prophet Muhammad cartoon controversy
Police in Turkey detained three more employees of a satirical magazine on Tuesday, raising the number of people taken into custody over a cartoon that allegedly depicted the Prophet Muhammad to four. The cartoon, published in LeMan magazine, drew a string of condemnation from government officials who stated it represented the Prophet Muhammad and sparked an angry protest outside the magazine's Istanbul office. LeMan, in a statement late Monday, denied the allegations and insisted the drawing was intended to portray a Muslim man named Muhammad and was meant to highlight the suffering of Muslims. The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said the cartoon showed 'two figures alleged to be Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses — with wings and halos — shaking hands in the sky, while a war scene unfolds below with bombs raining down.' The independent Birgun newspaper also said the winged figures hovering in the sky were interpreted by some as Prophets Muhammad and Moses. Authorities on Monday launched an investigation into the weekly magazine over accusations of 'publicly insulting religious values' and detained the cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, from his home. Overnight, LeMan's Editor-in-Chief Zafer Aknar, graphic designer Cebrail Okcu and manager Ali Yavuz were also detained, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Detention warrants were also issued for two editors who are believed to be abroad, the report said. Late on Monday, demonstrators, reportedly belonging to an Islamic group, hurled rocks at LeMan's headquarters in central Istanbul and scuffled with police. The publication apologized for any offense caused, but it also called on authorities to act against what it described as a smear campaign and to protect freedom of expression. Separate videos of the arrests, shared by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, showed Pehlevan and Yavuz being forcibly taken from their homes, their hands being cuffed behind their backs. 'These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Yerlikaya wrote on X.
