ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥 Turkish authorities suspended five elected mayors from duty Thursday as part of an ongoing crackdown on the country's opposition.
Separately, prosecutors launched an investigation into the leader of the opposition Republican People鈥檚 Party, or CHP, over comments made in a speech Wednesday evening. Ozgur Ozel had criticized Istanbul鈥檚 chief prosecutor following the the previous day as part of a corruption investigation.
Officials from municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, including , who was detained in March over allegations of corruption.
Many consider the cases to be although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan鈥檚 government insists the courts are impartial and free of political involvement.
Imamoglu is widely viewed as the main challenger to Erdogan鈥檚 two-decade rule and is the CHP鈥檚 candidate for a presidential election due in 2028, but which could be held earlier.
Istanbul and a clutch of major cities fell to the CHP in 2019, with the opposition extending its control in .
The five suspended mayors represent the Istanbul districts of Avcilar, Buyukcekmece and Gaziosmanpasa, as well as Seyhan and Ceyhan in the Mediterranean province of Adana. Their suspensions were announced by the Interior Ministry after they were detained over claims of bribery and extortion.
A total of 11 mayors, including Imamoglu, have now been removed from office as part of investigations into CHP municipalities. Dozens of other officials have been imprisoned awaiting trial.
Imamoglu鈥檚 jailing led to the , with demonstrators complaining of judicial abuses and wider democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
Speaking in Gaziosmanpasa on Wednesday evening, Ozel criticized Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who has been the focus of opposition claims of political interference. This led to Gurlek鈥檚 office launching an investigation into charges of 鈥渢hreatening a judicial officer鈥 and 鈥渋nsulting a public official.鈥
