Key facts
- An Istanbul district mayor and five others were detained over alleged building and occupancy permit irregularities.
- The arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on municipalities led by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
- Three more opposition mayors from Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman were arrested in separate investigations.
- Allegations include graft, tender rigging, bribery, and organized crime.
- Opposition parties claim the investigations are politically motivated attempts to neutralize the main opposition party.
- The jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March led to significant street protests.
Turkish authorities have detained an opposition Istanbul district mayor and five others over alleged irregularities in building and occupancy permits, marking an escalation of a crackdown on municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Uskudar municipality Mayor Sinem Dedetas, along with the district's deputy mayor, secretary, an architect, a business agent, and a contractor, were detained following police raids at eleven addresses in Istanbul. The municipality is accused of coordinating the approval of building permits through a system requiring contractors to sign consultancy contracts.
In a separate but related development, three more opposition mayors from major southern cities—Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman—were arrested on Saturday. These arrests are linked to investigations into alleged graft, tender rigging, and bribery. Officials from the CHP have denounced these actions as a "political operation" aimed at neutralizing the opposition, particularly after the party's significant victories in the 2024 local elections.
The government maintains that the judiciary is independent and that prosecutors are acting accordingly. However, the opposition argues that the legal actions are politically motivated, especially following the imprisonment of Istanbul's powerful opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, in March, which triggered widespread protests. Imamoglu is considered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival.
Opposition figures, including Mansur Yavas, the mayor of Ankara, have voiced strong condemnation, stating they will not bow to injustice or political operations. The pro-Kurdish DEM party also criticized the arrests, emphasizing the importance of respecting the will of the people expressed at the ballot box.