Raid in Turkey: Opposition district mayor arrested in Istanbul

Another opposition district mayor and 27 other people were arrested in Istanbul. According to the state news agency Anadolu, the Ankara public prosecutor's office is investigating her on suspicion of membership in a criminal organization, bribery and manipulation of tenders.

The arrested Mithat Bülent Özmen, mayor of the Eyüpsultan district, was elected district mayor in the 2024 local elections with around 48 percent of the vote for the then largest opposition party, CHP. In the local elections, the CHP under its then chairman Özgür Özel won the most mayoral offices in the country. In doing so, she achieved an unexpected success against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AKP party.

Journalists and opposition politicians warn that the raids and arrests in opposition-run districts could gradually shift the balance of power in Istanbul's city parliament. MP Özgür Karabat from the opposition party Yeni Parti told Halk TV that the ruling AKP was calculating how it could take over the city parliament. The government rejects allegations of influencing the judiciary.

Since 2019, opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu led the Istanbul city administration until he was arrested in March 2025 on corruption charges, among other things. His arrest sparked mass protests across the country.

Ekrem İmamoğlu is President Erdoğan's most important opponent - and has been in prison for more than a year and a half. You can read answers to SPIEGEL's questions about his prison conditions and his hope for a different Türkiye here.