ByREUTERS

Turkish police detained the opposition mayor of the southern province of Mersin and 58 other suspects on Thursday in a corruption investigation, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.

Mayor Vahap Secer, who is a member of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was detained along with Yenisehir and Mezitli district mayors over alleged fraud in public tenders, Anadolu said, citing a Mersin Prosecutor's Office statement.

The investigation in Mersin is the latest step in an unprecedented legal crackdown on municipalities run by opposition parties in Turkey.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8. Relations between Israel and Turkey have repeatedly deteriorated and recovered, but their competing interests in post-Assad Syria have introduced a new source of strategic friction.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8. Relations between Israel and Turkey have repeatedly deteriorated and recovered, but their competing interests in post-Assad Syria have introduced a new source of strategic friction. (credit: UMIT BEKTAS/REUTERS)

Dozens of opposition politicians have been arrested

Dozens of mayors, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seen as the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are in jail pending trial as part of corruption probes.

The opposition has rejected corruption accusations since 2024 and says the investigations are politically motivated. The government says the judiciary is independent.