Turkish police on Tuesday detained 22 people in a raid on an association linked to Antalya’s opposition-run metropolitan municipality, the latest move in what critics call a nationwide crackdown on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkish media reported.
The authorities issued detention warrants for 22 people and searched the offices of the Antalyaspor Association. Those taken into custody include businessman Ramazan Karabulut and Bahattin Özkesemen. Prosecutors said four suspects remain at large.
The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been leading the investigation, which earlier this summer resulted in the arrest of Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek. He was detained on July 5, arrested two days later on bribery charges and removed from office.
Böcek, who remains in pretrial detention, was briefly taken to a hospital in the second week of September for a medical examination before being returned to prison, authorities said.
Earlier interventions in Antalya have included the appointment of a trustee to Kanal V, a local TV station, after previous investigations into municipal operations. The city, governed by the CHP, has faced repeated raids, detentions and arrests in recent months.
The raids in Antalya are part of a broader anti-corruption drive that has targeted CHP-led municipalities across Turkey. The government insists the operations are necessary to tackle systemic corruption, while opposition leaders say the investigations are politically motivated and designed to weaken the CHP ahead of the next general election scheduled for 2028.
The CHP, buoyed by sweeping victories in the 2024 local elections, has faced mounting pressure since March, when Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was jailed. At least 15 CHP mayors remain behind bars on corruption or terrorism-linked charges that rights groups say are politically motivated.
International human rights groups and lawmakers in Europe have raised concerns over the rule of law in Turkey, warning that the mass detentions and legal pressures could further erode democratic norms. Silivri Prison, where many opposition figures are being held, has become a symbol of the country’s deepening political tensions.
