The İstanbul chief public prosecutor has issued an indictment seeking prison sentences for 10 officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) over alleged election irregularities during the party’s İstanbul provincial congress, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing Turkish media reports.
The investigation, launched on March 4, accused the officials of violating Article 112 of Turkey’s Political Parties Law, which criminalizes manipulation of internal party elections. The prosecutor is seeking prison terms ranging from one to three years.
The indictment, submitted to the İstanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, named several prominent opposition figures, including İstanbul CHP Chairperson Özgür Çelik, suspended Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney and former Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat. Other defendants are Aydın Karaaslan, Fahrettin Çırak, Melda Tanişman Tutan, Niyazi Güneri, Tülay Yavuz, Uğur Gökdemir and Veli Gümüş.
The charges stem from the October 8, 2023 provincial congress, where Çelik defeated former chairperson Cemal Canpolat, securing 342 delegate votes to Canpolat’s 310.
Observers noted that the indictment is part of a broader crackdown on the CHP, which has intensified following the politically motivated arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. To date at least 17 CHP mayors, dozens of party officials and even İmamoğlu’s lawyers have been detained or prosecuted.
Political analysts and CHP representatives stressed that the indictment reflects the
systematic use of the judiciary to suppress opposition voices and undermine democratic processes.
Turkey has been suffering from an erosion of the rule of law, which many say has worsened since a failed coup in July 2016, when more than 4,000 judges and prosecutors were removed under the pretext of an anti-coup fight.
In a development that confirmed the deterioration of the Turkish judiciary, Turkey was ranked 117th out of 142 countries in the World Justice Project’s 2024 Rule of Law Index.
