Turkey Detains Another Opposition Mayor Among Dozens of Suspects in Crackdown
Authorities say 55 suspects face charges including bribery, embezzlement and tender-rigging in a widening probe of opposition-run municipalities.
- On Thursday, Turkish police detained Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Besikcioglu and 51 other suspects in a graft investigation targeting alleged irregularities and forgery in municipal tenders, the Interior Ministry said.
- Authorities issued 55 detention warrants and searched 71 locations across nine provinces, with the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor overseeing the operation targeting 42 municipal officials and 13 company representatives.
- This operation marks the latest legal crackdown targeting opposition-run municipalities; police also detained the opposition mayor of Istanbul's Uskudar district on Wednesday over alleged permit irregularities.
- The opposition rejects these accusations as politically motivated, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government insists Turkey's judiciary remains impartial and acts independently of political pressure.
- Besikcioglu, a former TV actor elected in 2024, joins other targeted opposition figures including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has faced imprisonment and criminal cases since March 2025.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Following the detention of Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş yesterday, 55 people, including Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikcioğlu, were detained today. Analyzing the prominent political headlines on Cumhuriyet TV, Onur Alp Yılmaz said, “We have seen that remaining in the CHP does not provide a protective shield. These operations could be the beginning of a path that will lead to Mansur Yavaş.”
The Turkish judiciary is continuing against the CHP, which is experiencing troubled times anyway.
The judiciary in Turkey continues to take action against members of the CHP. More than 50 people are said to have been arrested, including former actor Erdal Beşikçioğlu.
In Ankara several raids were carried out, a mayor of the opposition party CHP and 51 other people were arrested.
The pressure on the opposition in Turkey is rising. In the course of a raid, the police arrest 52 people. Among them is a district mayor of Ankara, Besikcioglu, who became famous by a Turkish cult television series.
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