Turkish court jails mayor of opposition-run Adana pending trial as crackdown widens

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ISTANBUL (Reuters) -A Turkish court on Tuesday ruled the mayor of the southern city of Adana should be held in jail pending trial on corruption charges, broadcaster NTV reported, as a legal crackdown on the main opposition continues.

Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar was detained on Saturday as part of a corruption probe into opposition-run municipalities, which has expanded dramatically from its roots in Istanbul.

In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, was also jailed pending trial over corruption charges.

As part of the widening crackdown, a separate court ruled to put under house arrest, pending trial, the mayor of the southern city of Adiyaman, Abdurrahman Tutdere.

The mayor of the district of Manavgat in the southern resort province of Antalya was also jailed pending trial over suspected bribery and corruption charges. The Interior Ministry later said the mayor had been suspended from his duty over the arrest.

All the mayors, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), have denied the charges against them. The CHP, some Western countries and rights groups have called the arrests part of a politicised attempt by the government to remove electoral threats against Erdogan.

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, also from the CHP, said after the arrest of Karalar that the mayor’s arrest was “part of different calculations” and not a sound legal process.

“We are not against prosecution. However, we want a fair, independent and unbiased prosecution. Because the law does not bend or twist according to the time or politics,” he said on X.

The government denies influencing the judiciary and says the courts operate independently to investigate a ring of corruption at the municipalities.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Richard Chang)