Dozens of opposition arrested in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Aug 15 (AFP): Turkish police arrested 44 people Friday in the opposition stronghold of Istanbul, including the mayor of the central district of Beyoglu and several of his close advisers, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The latest wave of arrests, over alleged corruption, is part of a months-long crackdown targeting the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered the biggest political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested in March and subsequently imprisoned.

His arrest sparked protests in the country on a scale not seen in more than a decade.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel wrote on X on Friday that, in "149 days, the judiciary has not managed to produce an indictment".