List of arrested mayors in Turkey

The following is an incomplete list of arrested mayors in Turkey.

Arrested Mayors

Mayor	District	Arrested	Released	Status	Charge	Party	Source
Mehdi Zana	Diyarbakır	March 1980	April 1991	released		Independent	[1]
Fikri Sönmez	Fatsa	11 July 1980		died in prison on May 4, 1985	Revolutionary activity, “Communist Fatsa” charge	Independent
Ali Dinçer	Ankara	Sept. 1980		released		CHP
1999–2009
Recep Tayyip Erdogan	Istanbul	27 March 1999	July 1999	released after four months	sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for citing a poem	Welfare Party	[2]
Feridun Çelik	Diyarbakır	Feb. 2000	28 Feb. 2000	released	For allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).	HADEP	[3][4]
Selim Özalp	Siirt	Feb. 2000	Feb. 2000	released	For allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).	HADEP	[3][5]
Feyzullah Karaaslan	Bingöl	Feb. 2000	Feb. 2000	released	For allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).	HADEP	[3][5]
2009–2014
Ferit Çelik	Karliova	5 April 2012		sentenced to 8 years	Sentenced for aiding and abetting the PKK[6]	BDP	[7][6]
Abdullah Akengin	Dicle	Dec. 2009	February 2013[8]	imprisoned for over 3 years	In relation with the KCK trial	BDP	[9]
Abdullah Demirbaş	Sur	Dec. 2009	May 2010	released on medical grounds	Among other charges were "using the Kurdish language in his official capacity"[10]	BDP	[11][10]
Aydin Budak	Cizre	23-24 Dec. 2009		sentenced to 7 years and 6 months		BDP	[12][13]
Zülküf Karatekin	Kayapınar	23-24 Dec. 2009		sentenced to 9 years	for being “member of an organization“[14] during a trial of members of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK)	BDP	[13]
Nejdet Atalay	Batman	23-24 Dec. 2009		sentenced to 1 year and 8 months	Sentenced for calling Members of the PKK "warriors of the Kurdish people in mountains"[15]	BDP	[13]
Etem Şahin	Suruç	23-24 Dec. 2009		sentenced to 1 year and 9 months	For speaking Kurdish during his election campaign and violated the law concerning marches and manifestations.[16]	BDP	[13]
Leyla Güven	Viranşehir	29 Dec. 2009	Sep. 2014	more than 4 years in prison		BDP	[17][18]
Ferhat Türk	Kiziltepe	28 De. 2009	Feb. 2013	imprisoned for over 3 years	In relation with the KCK trial	BDP	[19][8]
Yusuf Yilmaz	Patnos	13 Feb. 2010		sentenced to 7 years 6 months	For membership in an illegal organization in the KCK-trial[20]	BDP
2014–2019
Sevil Rojbin Çetin	Edremit	14 Aug. 2015		sentenced to 10 years	For membership in a terror organization[21]	DBP	[21][22]
Dilek Hatipoğlu	Hakkari	23 Aug. 2015		sentenced to 15 years.[23] In Sincan prison[24]	After having made declarations of self-rule in August 2015, she was sentenced for disrupting the "unity and integrity of the state"[25]	DBP	[26]
Seyit Narin	Sur	24 Aug. 2015[27]		sentenced to 11 years and 3 months,[28] arrested in Rize[29]	prosecuted for terror related charges	DBP	[28]
Diba Keskin	Erçis	15 Oct. 2015		sentenced to 13 years, 9 months		DBP	[30][31]
Leyla Îmret	Cizre	22 Jan. 2016		prosecuted, in exile		DBP	[32][33]
Zeynep Sipçik	Dargeçit	March 2016		sentenced to 13.5 years.[34] In Sincan prison[22]	Convicted of membership in a terrorist organization[34]	DBP
Hazal Aras	Diyadin	3 March 2016	June 2017	prosecuted		DBP	[35][36]
Abdullah Çalışkan	Saray	20 April 2016[37]		sentenced to 7 years, 6 months	for membership in a terror organization	DBP	[38]
Mehmet Muhdi Aslan	İdil	25 Sept. 2016				DBP	[31]
Abdurrahman Zorlu	Hani	1 Oct. 2016				DBP	[31]
Gültan Kişanak	Diyarbakır	30 Oct. 2016		prosecuted		DBP	[39][40]
Sabite Ekinci	Varto	10 Nov. 2016[41]		Imprisoned in Sincan prison.[24]	For membership in a terrorist organization.[42]	DBP
Ahmet Türk	Mardin	Nov. 2016	Feb 2017	prosecuted		DBP	[43][44]
Mehmet Ali Bul	Tunceli	Nov. 2016		sentenced to 8 years and 9 months		DBP	[28]
Hüseyin Olan	Bitlis	25 Nov. 2016		Imprisoned between 2014 and 2022[45]		DBP	[31][46]
Halis Çoskun	Malazgirt	29 Nov. 2016		sentenced to 12 years imprisonment		DBP	[47][48]
Ismail Asi	Kiziltepe	2 Dec. 2016		prosecuted, arrested in Sakran prison in Izmir		DBP	[49]
Seferi Yılmaz	Semdinli	6 Dec. 2016				DBP	[50]
Mehmet Ali Aydin	Kayapinar	8 Dec. 2016				DBP	[51]
Selim Kurbanoğlu	Yenişehir	8 Dec. 2016				DBP	[51]
Servet Tunc	Çukurka	8 Dec. 2016				DBP	[51]
Tuncer Bakırhan	Siirt	16 Dec. 2016		sentenced to 10 years and 15 days imprisonment		DBP	[52]
Fırat Öztürk	Tutak	Jan. 2017		prosecuted		DBP	[53]
Sara Kaya	Nusaybin	Jan. 2017		sentenced to 1 year, and another 16 years imprisonment		DBP	[54][55]
Süleyman Tekin	Ömerli	5 Jan. 2017				DBP	[56]
Celalettin Bartu	Çatak	5 Jan. 2017				DBP	[28]
Zeynel Taş	Bozova	6 Jan. 2017		sentenced to 11 years and 10 months imprisonment[57]		DBP	[58]
Sadiye Süer Baran	Kulp	6 Jan. 2017		prosecuted		DBP	[59][60]
Emrullah Cin	Viranşehir	6 Jan. 2017		sentenced to 6 years and 3 months imprisonment		DBP	[58][61]
Murat Ruhat Özbay	Dogubayezit	February 2017			membership in a terrorist organization	DBP	[62]
Afüllah Kar	Koçaköy	February 2017			membership for a terrorist organization	DBP	[63]
Bekir Kaya	Van	11 June 2017		sentenced to 8 years, 3 Months and another 15 Years imprisonment		DBP	[64][65][66]
Rezan Zuĝurlu	Lice	17 Nov. 2017		sentenced to 4 years, 2 Months imprisonment		DBP	[67]
Şerafettin Özalp	Özalp	7 May 2018	27 May 2018	prosecuted		DBP	[68][69]
2019 -
Mehmet Fatih Taş	Kulp	Sep. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[70]
Melike Göksu	Karayazı	Sep. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[71]
İrfan Sarı	Yüksekova	15 Oct. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[72]
Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı	Diyarbakır	21 Oct. 2019[73]		sentenced to 9 years, 4 months imprisonment.[74] Having been imprisoned in Diyarbakir and Kayseri he is currently in Edirne[75]	Sentenced with being a member of the PKK[74]	HDP
Rojda Nazlıer	Kocaköy	22 Oct. 2019		sentenced to 9 years imprisonment	Charged with being a member of the PKK	HDP	[76][77]
Keziban Yılmaz	Kayapınar	22 Oct. 2019	March 2020[78]	sentenced to 7 years and 6 months but released		HDP	[76]
Azim Yacan	Ipekyolu	Nov. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[79]
Hatice Çevik	Suruç	20 Nov. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[80]
Gülistan Öncü	Savur	26 Nov. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[81]
Nalan Özaydın	Mazıdağı	26 Nov. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[81]
Mülkiye Esmez	Derik	26 Nov. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[81]
Yılmaz Şalan	Muradiye	10 Dec. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[82]
Dilan Örenci	Özalp	10 Dec. 2019		prosecuted		HDP	[82]
Nilüfer Elik Yılmaz	Kiziltepe	16 Dez. 2019		prosecuted	Arrested in Tarsus	HDP	[83][84]
Feyme Filiz Buluttekin	Sur	23 Dec. 2019		sentenced to 7 years and 6 month imprisonment		HDP	[85][86]
Mustafa Akkul	Eğil	25 March 2020		prosecuted		HDP	[87]
Casim Budak	Alınova	16 May 2020		prosecuted		HDP	[88]
Yaşar Akkuş	Iğdır	19 May 2020		sentenced to 7 years and 6 month imprisonment		HDP	[89][90]
Ayhan Bilgen	Kars	2 Oct. 2020		released pending trial in June 2021[91]	Charged with organizing the Kobanî protests[92] during the Siege of Kobani by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).	HDP	[92]
Gürbüz Çapan	Esenyurt	26 Mar. 2004	19 May 2004	Released after 54 days in prison pending trial.[93]	Arrested over corruption and bid rigging allegations; sentenced to prison terms in subsequent trials.	CHP
2024 - 2025
Hüseyin Sarı	Erdek	20 Nov. 2019	25 Nov. 2019	Released after serving a brief sentence following conviction.[94]	Convicted for misconduct in office; sentenced to 1 year and 15 days in prison.	CHP	[95]
Ahmet Özer	Esenyurt	31 Oct. 2024				CHP
Cevdet Konak	Tunceli	20 Nov. 2024				CHP
Mustafa Sarıgül	Ovacık	20 Nov. 2024				CHP
Rıza Akpolat	Beşiktaş	13 Jan. 2025			Charged with establishing and managing a criminal organization	CHP
Alaattin Köseler	Beykoz	3 Mar. 2025				CHP
Ekrem İmamoğlu	Istanbul	23 Mar. 2024				CHP
Mehmet Murat Çalık	Beylikdüzü	23 Mar. 2025				CHP
Resul Emrah Şahan	Şişli	23 Mar. 2025				CHP
Utku Caner Çaykara	Avcılar	5 Jun. 2025				CHP
Hasan Akgün	Büyükçekmece	5 Jun. 2025				CHP
Hakan Bahçetepe	Gaziosmanpaşa	5 Jun. 2025				CHP
Oya Tekin	Seyhan	5 Jun. 2025				CHP
Kadir Aydar	Ceyhan	5 Jun. 2025				CHP
Muhittin Böcek	Antalya	5 Jul. 2025				CHP
Zeydan Karalar	Adana	8 Jul. 2025				CHP
Niyazi Nefi Kara	Manavgat	8 Jul. 2025				CHP

See also

• Crime in Turkey
• Human rights in Turkey