ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities detained the mayor of a key Istanbul district along with some 40 other officials on Friday, intensifying asweeping crackdown on the country's opposition. Inan Guney, mayor of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, was taken into custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Guney's bodyguard, his advisor and other aides were among those detained, the Birgun newspaper and other media reported. Beyoglu district is held by the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year, beginningwith the targetingofIstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamogluin March. A popular opposition figure, Imamoglu is widely regarded as the main challenger to PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan'stwo-decade rule and is the CHP's candidate for a presidential election due in 2028. Critics argue the legal actions are politically motivated, aimed at undermining the CHP's growing influence. Erdogan's government insists the courts operate independently without political interference. Istanbul and a string of major cities fell to the CHP in 2019, with the opposition further extending its control inlast year's municipal elections. Imamoglu's jailing led tothe largest protests in Turkeyfor more than a decade, with demonstrators denouncing a democratic backsliding under Erdogan.
