Turkey makes fresh opp arrests

ISTANBUL:

The Turkish government is tightening its grip on the opposition, with fresh arrests on Friday targeting elected officials from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as it faces a deepening leadership crisis.

Authorities carried out operations targeting CHP-run municipalities in Istanbul's islands dis-trict and in southern Turkey over a range of allegations, including corruption and fraud. Police conducted simultaneous raids in four cities, detaining 37 of 47 suspects named in ar-rest warrants, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Among those detained was Adalar (islands) mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat. The suspects are accused of bribery, embezzlement, forgery of official documents, forming and leading a criminal organisation, and abuse of office, according to the statement.