International30 July 2026

Turkey detains another opposition district mayor

Turkish police detained ​the opposition mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut ‌district and 51 other suspects on Thursday in a graft investigation, the Interior Ministry said.


  • Latest step in ​unprecedented legal crackdown on municipalities ​run by the main party ⁠opposing President Tayyip Erdogan.

  • Uskudar municipality ​Mayor Sinem Dedetas detained, as ​well as district deputy mayor, secretary, an architect, a business agent and a ​contractor, NTV said.

  • Police raids ​conducted simultaneously at eleven addresses in Istanbul, ‌digital ⁠materials seized from suspects.

  • Municipality allegedly coordinated the approval of building permits through a system in ​which contractors ​were ⁠required to sign consultancy contracts in order to ​obtain permits, NTV reported.

  • The opposition ​has ⁠rejected wave of allegations since 2024 and says the investigations ⁠are ​politically motivated. The ​government says the judiciary is independent.


-Reuters 

 

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