Turkey Suspends Silivri Mayor After Arrest, 10 Detained in Crackdown on Opposition Municipality
Turkish authorities have suspended the mayor of Silivri, a district west of Istanbul, after his arrest, while 10 people including the mayor were formally detained in a separate operation targeting an opposition-run municipality.
The Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu and nine other individuals were arrested following an investigation that initially saw 18 suspects detained [174444]. Eight others were released under judicial supervision [174444]. The suspension removes the elected official from his duties pending the legal process [175445]. No specific charges have been disclosed [175445][174444].
In a related development, Turkish authorities detained 15 suspects, including Deputy Mayor Gökhan Pehlivan, in an operation targeting the opposition-run municipality of Seferihisar, which is led by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) [175444]. Details of the allegations in that case have also not been released [175444].
The moves come amid heightened political tension. Opposition leader Özgür Özel condemned a court-appointed administrator’s decision to remove several provincial party heads and refer lawmakers for disciplinary action, calling it “a four-sided lawlessness” and urging party members to hold a “democracy watch” at local party headquarters [175414]. The dispute follows a court order that placed the CHP under temporary administration loyal to former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu [175414].