Turkey detains another opposition district mayor, others as crackdown expands

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) AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.