Several Turkish municipal officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) remain in custody nearly ten months after being detained in a controversial probe into what prosecutors have labelled the “Kent Uzlaşısı” (Municipal Accord), despite no indictment having been filed.

The investigation stems from local elections held in March 2024, in which the CHP made significant gains in major cities, including Istanbul. Turkish prosecutors have characterised the Municipal Accord — a strategic electoral cooperation between the CHP and the smaller, pro-Kurdish DEM Party — as an arrangement that allegedly sought to expand the influence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in metropolitan areas. The case has been pursued under Turkey’s anti-terror legislation.

Turkey’s anti-terror laws are broadly framed and have long been criticised by domestic and international rights groups for being used against political opponents. Under these statutes, association or communication with individuals suspected of links to outlawed organisations can be prosecuted even in the absence of evidence of violent activity — a central point of contention in this case.

The Municipal Accord refers to informal electoral agreements under which the DEM Party refrained from fielding candidates in certain municipalities in order to........

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