The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Stands in Solidarity with Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş
The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Global Women Leaders Network condemn the arrest of Sinem Dedetaş, Mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district and a member of GIWPS’s inaugural 2025 Women Changemaker cohort.
Mayor Dedetaş, a leader in Turkey’s main opposition party, was detained on July 29, 2026, alongside five others in what is believed to be a politically motivated corruption investigation. She was formally arrested on August 1, pending trial on charges including bribery, extortion, and leading a criminal organization. Her arrest adds to a growing tally of opposition mayors detained across the country, with more than a dozen democratically elected Republican People’s Party (CHP) mayors alone now jailed, over half of all district mayors the party won in the 2024 elections.
Opposition figures and human rights organizations have described the broader pattern of investigations targeting CHP-led municipalities as part of a politically motivated campaign to weaken the party and remove elected officials seen as challengers to the current government.
Mayor Dedetaş made history as Üsküdar’s first female mayor, ending three decades of President Erdogan’s party governance in the district, and has been a committed advocate for democratic accountability, freedom of expression, and economic opportunity for her constituents. Her leadership and character have made her an invaluable member of our global community of women leaders.
Given the scale and pattern of these prosecutions against opposition-led municipalities, and the serious concerns raised by credible international observers regarding due process and judicial independence, GIWPS and the Global Women Leaders Network call on the Turkish government to ensure Mayor Dedetaş receives a fair, transparent, and expedited legal process consistent with international standards, and urge her immediate release pending any such process.
We stand in solidarity with Mayor Dedetaş and with all women leaders confronting political and institutional pressure in pursuit of their democratic mandate.
Media Contact: Alexandra Gopin, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
ag2276@georgetown.edu
Explore More
Want to know where women thrive the most? Denmark ranks No. 1…
Mapped: Which Countries Are Best for Women?
Urgent Appeal for the Release of Nagwa Musa Konda, Sudanese Peacebuilder
The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security calls for the immediate…