ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥 Police in Istanbul detained 47 people Saturday in dawn raids linked to a corruption investigation that saw the city鈥檚 mayor imprisoned last month, leading to Turkey鈥檚 largest protests in more than a decade.
Among those arrested in Istanbul, the neighboring province of Tekirdag and the capital, Ankara, were senior officials from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, local media reported.
The March 19 , who is the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan鈥檚 22-year rule, saw hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of Turkish cities to protest what many consider a . The government insists Turkey鈥檚 judicial system is independent.
In a statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor鈥檚 Office said simultaneous operations were conducted against 53 suspects, six of whom remain at large. Searches were continuing at homes and workplaces, it added.
Demonstrations against Imamoglu鈥檚 jailing and wider democratic backsliding saw more than 2,000 people arrested for taking part in banned protests last month. Many of them were students but journalists and trades unionists were also among the detainees.
Imamoglu, who also faces terror-related charges in a parallel investigation launched last month, was nominated the presidential candidate for his Republican People鈥檚 Party, or CHP, while in prison. Elections are due in 2028 but could come earlier.
The cases against him, which include , could see him banned from politics.
The CHP-supporting Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that Saturday鈥檚 arrests included the deputy secretary general of Istanbul municipality, Imamoglu鈥檚 private secretary and the head of the city鈥檚 water company. Gokhan Gunaydin, a senior CHP lawmaker, said the municipality was being 鈥渆ffectively rendered inoperable鈥 by the arrests.
The wife of Imamoglu鈥檚 adviser was also detained Saturday. The adviser was among some 100 arrested in March鈥檚 wave of arrests and remains in prison.
Demonstrations against what the opposition calls the 鈥淢arch 19 coup鈥 are continuing, although on a smaller scale. Ankara governor鈥檚 office said Saturday that 30 people were arrested at a protest the previous evening. The CHP was due to hold a rally later Saturday in the Mediterranean city of Mersin.
The party won a swath of major cities in 2019 local elections, . In Istanbul, Imamoglu鈥檚 victory ended 25 years of control for Erdogan鈥檚 party and its predecessors.
