Key facts
- Turkish police detained opposition mayor Erdal Besikcioglu of Ankara's Etimesgut district.
- The detention is part of a graft investigation into the Etimesgut municipality.
- Istanbul's Uskudar district mayor, Sinem Dedetas, and five others were previously detained over building permit irregularities.
- Three other opposition mayors from Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman were arrested in separate graft and bribery investigations.
- Opposition parties allege the investigations are politically motivated attempts to weaken the main opposition party.
- The government maintains the judiciary is independent.
Turkish authorities have detained the opposition mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut district, Erdal Besikcioglu, as part of a graft investigation. This action follows the recent detention of Istanbul's Uskudar district mayor, Sinem Dedetas, and five others over alleged irregularities in building and occupancy permits. These arrests are part of an escalating crackdown on municipalities led by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which secured significant victories in the 2024 local elections.
Besikcioglu's detention occurred after police raided the Etimesgut municipality early Thursday. Prosecutors had initiated an embezzlement investigation into the municipality in March following account irregularities. In a separate incident on Wednesday, Dedetas and five associates were detained after police raided eleven addresses in Istanbul, investigating allegations that the Uskudar municipality coordinated building permit approvals through consultancy contracts.
Further compounding the crackdown, three other opposition mayors from the major southern cities of Adana, Antalya, and Adiyaman were arrested on Saturday in connection with investigations into alleged graft, tender rigging, and bribery. Opposition parties, including the CHP, have vehemently denounced these actions as politically motivated "operations" aimed at neutralizing their party and undermining the electoral will of the people. The government, however, maintains that the judiciary operates independently and that prosecutors are acting appropriately.
The jailing of Istanbul's prominent opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, in March had previously sparked widespread protests, highlighting the political tensions surrounding these legal actions. Opposition figures like Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas have vowed to resist what they term "injustice" and "political operations."