Türkiye · Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Actor-turned-CHP mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu jailed as municipal crackdown reaches Ankara's districts
A court jailed Erdal Beşikçioğlu (an award-winning actor known for "Behzat Ç." and mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut district since 2024) together with 39 others pending trial in a corruption investigation covering 42 municipal officials and 13 company representatives. Beşikçioğlu denies wrongdoing and says several of the cited irregularities were uncovered by an internal audit he himself ordered. The arrest shows the campaign against CHP-run municipalities, with Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu behind bars since March 2025, now reaching the capital's districts: a continuing weight on rule-of-law perceptions and the EU relationship.