Critics say the arrest of Istanbul's mayor is part of a mounting crackdown by Turkey's president to silence all dissent.

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links.

By Akin Nazli in Belgrade Turkey on March 19 was cast into an undeclared state of emergency following the detention during an early-morning police raid of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu at his home. The detention of Imamoglu – days ahead of a planned party nomination as a presidential candidate who would be widely seen as having a good chance of