Latest news with #TuncSoyer
The Print
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Print
Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption probe, Anadolu news says
Murat Bakan, an Izmir lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) – which has faced waves of arrests since late last year – said former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer had been detained along with senior officials and a provincial chairman of the party. The Izmir prosecutor ordered the detention of a total 157 people in the early morning hours as part of an investigation into corruption, tender rigging and fraud in the western coastal city, Anadolu reported. Police are continuing efforts to find the remaining 48 people, it added. ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish authorities detained 109 people, including opposition party members and a former mayor, on Tuesday in Izmir, the Anadolu state news agency said, expanding a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition that had been focused on Istanbul. 'We woke up to another dawn operation today. We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul,' Bakan said on X, adding that the judicial system appeared to be 'acting on instructions'. Those arrested in Turkey's broader crackdown include Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp selloff in Turkish assets. The CHP denies the charges levelled against it. Along with some Western countries, the CHP and rights groups have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan and silence dissent. The government denies these claims, saying Turkey's judiciary and courts are independent. According to the prosecutor's statement published by Anadolu news, the investigation into Izmir municipality found that irregularities in tenders and expenses involving subcontractor companies had caused public loss. (Reporting by Jonathan SpicerEditing by Himani Sarkar and Gareth Jones) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Irish Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption investigation
Turkish authorities detained 109 people, including opposition party members and a former mayor, on Tuesday in Izmir, the Anadolu state news agency said, expanding a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition that had been focused on Istanbul. The Izmir prosecutor ordered the detention of a total of 157 people in the early morning hours as part of an investigation into corruption, tender rigging and fraud in the western coastal city, Anadolu reported. Police are continuing efforts to find the remaining 48 people, it added. Murat Bakan, an Izmir politician from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) – which has faced waves of arrests since late last year – said former Izmir mayor Tunc Soyer had been detained along with senior officials and a provincial chairman of the party. 'We woke up to another dawn operation today. We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul,' Bakan said on X, adding that the judicial system appeared to be 'acting on instructions'. READ MORE Those arrested in Turkey's broader crackdown include Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu , the main political rival of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan . Mr Imamoglu was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp sell-off in Turkish assets. The CHP denies the charges levelled against it. Along with some western countries, the CHP and rights groups have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan and silence dissent. The government denies these claims, saying Turkey's judiciary and courts are independent. According to the prosecutor's statement published by Anadolu news, the investigation into Izmir municipality found that irregularities in tenders and expenses involving subcontractor companies had caused public loss. Meanwhile, a cartoon in a Turkish satirical magazine depicting what appeared to be prophets Muhammad and Moses was an 'Islamophobic hate crime', the spokesperson for Mr Erdogan's ruling party said on Tuesday. The comments amplify a wave of official condemnation a day after four cartoonists at the Leman magazine were detained over the drawing. The cartoon, published a few days after the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, appears to show Muhammad, who Muslims believe is the final prophet, and Moses, one of Judaism's most important prophets, shaking hands in the sky while missiles fly below in a wartime scene. It was also criticised by religious conservatives, even as the magazine apologised to readers who felt offended and said it had been misunderstood. More than 200 people arrived to protest against Leman in central Istanbul on Tuesday, despite a ban on gatherings and heavy police presence. 'This has nothing to do with art, ideas, freedom of expression or artistic freedom,' Omer Celik, the ruling AK Party spokesperson, told reporters in Ankara. 'In our view, this is a hate crime – an act of hostility directly targeting Islam, prophet Moses and our prophet.' Mr Erdogan and his Islamic-rooted AK Party regularly criticise what they call Islamophobic acts in secular Turkey and across Europe. Muslims see depictions of the prophet Muhammad as blasphemous. In a statement on X, Leman said 'the work does not refer to the prophet Muhammad in any way'. The cartoonist, Dogan Pehlevan, had sought to highlight 'the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks', it said, adding there was no intent to insult Islam or its prophet. The magazine urged authorities to counter what it called a smear campaign and to protect freedom of expression. Several civil society groups condemned the detentions, calling them a violation of freedom of thought and expression. Turkey's freedom of expression ranking is low due to restrictions on media and public discourse. Reporters Without Borders ranked it 158th out of 180 countries in its 2024 Press Freedom Index. Late on Monday, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya shared a video on X showing police officers detaining Mr Pehlevan with his hands cuffed behind his back as he was dragged up a stairwell. He also shared videos of three other men being removed from their homes and dragged into vans, one of them barefoot. 'The individual who drew this vile image, DP, has been apprehended and taken into custody. These shameless people will be held accountable before the law,' Mr Yerlikaya wrote. The government said an inquiry was launched under a penal code article that criminalises incitement to hatred and enmity, and that detention orders had been issued for six people in total. – Reuters
Arab News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Turkiye detains 120 opposition officials including former mayor
Police detained 120 officials from the opposition Republican People's Party, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc SoyerThe Izmir Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants against 157 officialsANKARA: Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained a former mayor and dozens of municipality officials in the western city of Izmir over alleged corruption, extending a crackdown against the country's main opposition detained 120 officials from the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and the party's provincial leader Senol Aslanoglu, state-run Anadolu Agency said. In total, the Izmir Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants against 157 officials as part of an investigation into alleged rigging of municipality tenders and fraud, it from CHP-controlled municipalities in Istanbul and elsewhere have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who was arrested in March over allegations of corruption. His arrest triggered the largest street protests Turkiye has seen in more than a is regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 22-year rule and was officially nominated as his party's presidential candidate following his imprisonment. Turkiye's next election is due in 2028 but could come people in Turkiye consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. But Erdogan's government insists the courts are impartial and free from political crackdown comes a year after the CHP made significant gains in local elections.
Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Turkey detains 120 opposition officials including former mayor
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained a former mayor and dozens of municipality officials in the western city of Izmir over alleged corruption, extending a crackdown against the country's main opposition party. Police detained 120 officials from the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and the party's provincial leader Senol Aslanoglu, state-run Anadolu Agency said. In total, the Izmir Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants against 157 officials as part of an investigation into alleged rigging of municipality tenders and fraud, it added. Officials from CHP-controlled municipalities in Istanbul and elsewhere have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who was arrested in March over allegations of corruption. His arrest triggered the largest street protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade. Imamoglu is regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 22-year rule and was officially nominated as his party's presidential candidate following his imprisonment. Turkey's next election is due in 2028 but could come sooner. Many people in Turkey consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. But Erdogan's government insists the courts are impartial and free from political involvement. The crackdown comes a year after the CHP made significant gains in local elections.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Turkey detains 120 opposition officials including former mayor
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained a former mayor and dozens of municipality officials in the western city of Izmir over alleged corruption, extending a crackdown against the country's main opposition party. Police detained 120 officials from the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, including former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and the party's provincial leader Senol Aslanoglu, state-run Anadolu Agency said. In total, the Izmir Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants against 157 officials as part of an investigation into alleged rigging of municipality tenders and fraud, it added. Officials from CHP-controlled municipalities in Istanbul and elsewhere have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who was arrested in March over allegations of corruption. His arrest triggered the largest street protests Turkey has seen in more than a decade. Imamoglu is regarded as the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 22-year rule and was officially nominated as his party's presidential candidate following his imprisonment. Turkey's next election is due in 2028 but could come sooner. Many people in Turkey consider the cases to be politically driven, according to opinion polls. But Erdogan's government insists the courts are impartial and free from political involvement. The crackdown comes a year after the CHP made significant gains in local elections.
