Turkey detains another opposition district mayor, others as crackdown expands

Jul 29, 2026

FILE PHOTO: Newly elected Uskudar Mayor Sinem Dedetas, accompanied by her husband Baris Dedetas, walks at Uskudar Square after receiving her mayoral certificate, in Istanbul, Turkey April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo — Dilara Senkaya

ISTANBUL, July 29 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities detained an opposition Istanbul district mayor and five others on Wednesday over alleged irregularities in building and occupancy permits, broadcaster NTV reported.

• 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.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)

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