Turkey Jails 18 Istanbul Officials in Opposition Crackdown

Turkish authorities have intensified a crackdown on opposition figures in Istanbul, with a court ordering 18 senior municipal officials jailed pending trial on corruption and organized crime charges, and dozens more detained or placed under judicial supervision. The wave of arrests follows last month's jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent opposition leader and main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also faces charges of aiding a terrorist group—allegations he and the opposition deny as politically motivated. Imamoglu’s arrest has sparked Turkey’s largest protests in a decade and drawn accusations from critics that the government is using the judiciary to suppress dissent, though officials insist the courts are independent. Among those arrested are top city administrators, Imamoglu’s brother-in-law, and key staff from the city’s water agency. The government maintains the charges are legitimate, but opposition parties and human rights groups see the clampdown as an attempt to sideline political adversaries and seize control of Istanbul’s resources. The ongoing unrest highlights growing tensions ahead of upcoming national elections, with concerns mounting over democracy and rule of law in Turkey.