Whilst the country wakes up to a new municipal operation every day, all elements of the opposition are being attempted to be silenced by the government. Elected mayors, the main opposition party via an absolute nullity manoeuvre, trade unionists, environmental defenders, miners, producers, students, women, comedians—in short, everyone who objects to the regime, seeks their rights, and criticises is in the line of fire. The government, having lost hope in the ballot box, thinks it will secure its domestically lost legitimacy through the US and Trump.

The Palace administration, which bases all its manoeuvres on fortifying the regime, is trying to design all politics through the stick of the judiciary and underhand tactics. The votes cast by the citizen at the ballot box, the mandate received by the elected mayor, the labour spent by the miner, the diploma received from universities, and the harvest produced by the farmer have no importance for this government. The current Palace regime where democracy has disappeared, the judiciary has become a stick to punish the opposition, and all different voices are attempted to be silenced is the greatest culprit of deepening poverty, unfalling inflation, stolen futures, natural events turning into disasters, the stolen will of the people; in short, all disasters.

NO ONE WILL FIND PEACE

Unless we get rid of this regime, neither can the workers get their due, nor can nature be saved from being plundered, nor will the will emerging from the ballot box be respected, nor will the country find peace. Unless the market-driven, reactionary, oppressive, and authoritarian regime—where the Republic is liquidated, the entirety of social life is placed under a blockade of reactionism, women are attempted to be erased from social life, the country is entirely opened up to profiteering, labour is devastated in the face of capital, and nature is plundered—changes, no segment of society will find peace.

Different segments of society disturbed by the current regime are raising their voices at every opportunity. Large and small protests are taking place across the country against the destruction caused by the government. Miners and teachers are breaching police barricades in Ankara. Environmental defenders are standing watch for their trees, water, soil, and nature from the Black Sea to the Aegean. Pensioners are taking to the squares all over the country, saying, "we want to live humanely."

OPPRESSION CANNOT INTIMIDATE THE PUBLIC

Whilst women raise their voices by piercing through bans against violence and discrimination, workers are organising strikes in factories. Students are showing their objections with creative banners at graduation ceremonies. The government, however, despite all the means it possesses, continuously fails to suppress this anger and demand for change accumulating at the grassroots level. The successive operations against the local governments elected by the public, the absolute nullity assigned to the CHP, the barricades set up against the miner and the teacher, and the imprisonment of the journalist, the trade unionist, the environmental defender, and the comedian do not intimidate society. It only slightly magnifies the anger accumulating at the base.

Against this government, which has placed the country under a complete blockade and recognises no law, rule, or regulation, the objections emerging from all corners of the country can only bring an end to this regime if united around the axis of a common struggle.

THE LATEST MANOEUVRE IS AGAINST ETİMESGUT MUNICIPALITY

The government's manoeuvre to besiege the municipalities continues unabated. Following the operation against the Üsküdar Municipality the previous day, an operation was also launched against the Etimesgut Municipality in Ankara yesterday morning.

Within the scope of the 'corruption' investigation carried out against the Etimesgut Municipality by the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was launched by the teams of the Ankara Provincial Police Department against 55 individuals, including Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu. As part of the investigation, 55 people, including Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu and deputy mayors Taylan Özgüven, İhsan Bahri Bellek, and Atilla Akyürek, were detained.

Detained Mayor Beşikçioğlu was taken to the Police Department after undergoing a health check at the Gazi Mustafa Kemal Occupational and Environmental Diseases Hospital. It was stated that searches by the Ankara Provincial Police Department teams were ongoing at the municipal building. Search and seizure procedures were carried out at 56 residences, 15 workplaces, and 41 vehicles belonging to the detainees.

Among those detained were also the managers of Social Assistance Affairs, Financial Services, Zoning and Urban Planning, Support Services, Municipal Police, and Real Estate and Expropriation, the Tender Chief of the Directorate of Science Affairs, the mayor's advisor and bodyguard, personnel working in the tender and inspection acceptance commissions, engineers, the general manager and board members of the municipal subsidiary ETİMKENT Inc., municipal personnel and former municipal employees, some political party executives, municipal council members, officials of companies doing business with the municipality, and a business facilitator.

A statement was made by the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the investigation carried out against the Etimesgut Municipality. The following expressions were used in the statement:

"An investigation has been launched by the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Anti-Smuggling, Narcotics and Organised Crimes Investigation Bureau upon allegations that irregularities were committed in some tenders held by the Etimesgut Municipality, fake documents were issued, and benefits were obtained during car park leasing transactions and the zoning and licensing processes regarding construction projects.

Within the scope of the investigation; Court of Accounts reports, statements of suspects taken within the framework of active repentance provisions, complainant declarations, Presidency Communication Centre (CİMER) applications, audio and video recordings, Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) reports, and Historical Traffic Search records and analyses have been examined in detail. In line with the obtained evidence, an investigation is being conducted against the suspects for the crimes of Establishing and managing an organisation to commit crimes, Becoming a member of the established organisation, Embezzlement, Bribery, Extortion, Rigging a bid, and Rigging the performance of an obligation. In this context, a simultaneous operation based in Ankara across 9 provinces was organised on 30 July 2026 against a total of 55 suspects, 42 of whom are municipal officials and 13 are company officials, including Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu."

Within the scope of the investigation, action was also taken against the officials of various companies evaluated to have business relations with the municipality, primarily FMT Global, Kule Medikal, AER Group, Yosun Ambalaj, Standart Katı Atık, TBD Group Inc., Seka Medical Centre, HFO Construction, and Ritim Computer.

MARCH OPERATION

In March, the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation with allegations of "embezzlement" regarding the irregularities detected in the accounts of the Etimesgut Municipality and its subsidiary Etimkent Inc. during the Court of Accounts audits. Making a statement after the operation where 4 people were detained, Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu had announced that the municipality itself had made the complaint that caused the investigation to start. Stating that there was no situation of a political operation against the municipality, Beşikcioğlu had said, "It has been announced to the public that, within the scope of the investigation launched by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office upon the complaint previously made by our municipality to the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention and search warrants were issued for some of our employees working in our municipality's Social Assistance Affairs Directorate and Etimkent Inc., whose entire capital belongs to our municipality."

WHY IS THERE NO AKP OR MHP MUNICIPALITY?

YENİ Party Deputy Group Chairman Gökhan Günaydın reacted to the operation against the Etimesgut Municipality, saying, "Why is there not a single AKP and MHP municipality among these municipalities that have been operated against? Are all of them whiter than white?" Günaydın said, "If you are going to conduct an operation against the Etimesgut Municipality, if you invited the mayor at a civilised hour, would he not come?" Reminding that an operation was organised against the Çankaya Municipality exactly one month after the appointment of the Chief Public Prosecutor, Günaydın said, "12 June, 12 July. Following that, our Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner and many people were arrested. Slightly more than two weeks have passed since this, and today, on 30 July, an operation was also conducted against our Etimesgut Municipality."

Günaydın also provided the following information regarding the number of arrested and detained mayors after the operations: "Thus, our number of arrested mayors has risen to 28, and our number of detained mayors to 2. The number of municipalities operated against has re-emerged as 42. Now let us ask and state: Why is there not a single AKP and MHP municipality among these municipalities operated against? Are all of them whiter than white? If you are going to conduct an operation against the Etimesgut Municipality, if you are going to conduct an investigation, if you invited the mayor at a civilised hour, would he not come? We leave all these questions to the conscience of the public. There is no need for us to leave them either; the conscience of the public already carries this."

YENİ Party Deputy Chairman Yaşar Tüzün emphasised that the operation targeted the will of the voter. Tüzün said, "No detention, no investigation, and no political pressure is above the will of the nation."

MY HEART IS IN THE STREETS OF ÜSKÜDAR

The statements of Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and 5 individuals, who were detained the previous day as part of the operation against the Üsküdar Municipality, are ongoing at the police station. During the house raids organised against 11 different addresses in Istanbul, 6 people were detained, namely Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, Deputy Mayor Ceyhun Ünlü, Chief of Staff Alihan Koçoğlu, architect Burçin Çevik, business facilitator Adem Altıntaş, and contractor Bülent Orhan Tozkoparan.

Detained as part of the investigation, Mayor Dedetaş said, "When I review my entire working life, the place I deserved and dreamed of being was certainly not a holding cell. But my health is fine, thankfully." Dedetaş's letter addressed to the people of Üsküdar was shared on her social media account. In her letter, Dedetaş used the expressions, "Even though I cannot be with you this morning, my mind and my heart are in the streets of Üsküdar today, just like every morning." Saying, "When I review my entire working life, the place I deserved and dreamed of being was certainly not a holding cell," Dedetaş stated the following: "But my health is fine, thankfully. Our lawyer friends are conveying to me the support you have also given; I am truly very happy. Hearing from you, receiving support gives me morale." Sinem Dedetaş included the expressions, "With the hope of seeing you as soon as possible and my love," in her letter.

On the other hand, following the operation conducted against the Üsküdar Municipality, citizens had gathered in front of the municipal building and given the message that they stood by Dedetaş with slogans. Yesterday as well, thousands of citizens who came together in Üsküdar protested the operations.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Rejim varken huzur yok, published in BirGün newspaper on July 31, 2026.