Turkish police arrest over 120 officials in opposition-run Izmir
Shafaq News - Izmir
On Tuesday, more than 120 municipal officials were detained in Turkiye's Izmir in a corruption probe targeting senior members of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to local media.
France 24 reported that the Interior Ministry issued 157 arrest warrants as part of the operation, which mirrors a similar move in Istanbul on March 19 that led to the detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
CHP Vice President Murat Bakan wrote on X that former Izmir mayor Tunc Soyer and the party’s provincial chairman Senol Aslanoglu were among those apprehended. “These dawn raids were a political choice, not a legal requirement,” he stated, arguing that the detainees had already been under investigation and would have appeared voluntarily if summoned.
Güne yine bir şafak operasyonuyla uyandık.İzmir’de önceki dönem Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanımız Tunç Soyer, dönemin üst düzey bürokratları ve İl Başkanımız Şenol Aslanoğlu sabahın ilk ışıklarıyla gözaltına alındı. İstanbul’da yaşananlara benzer bir süreçle karşı karşıyayız.…
— Murat BAKAN (@CHPMuratBakan) July 1, 2025
Izmir, Turkiye’s third-largest city, has long served as a CHP stronghold and a central base of opposition to Erdogan’s ruling AK Party.
