Former Varto co-mayor Sabite Ekinci released from prison

Sabite Ekinci, former co-mayor of Gımgım (Varto), has been released from prison after serving eight years.

News Center- Sabite Ekinci, former co-mayor of Gımgım (Varto) district of Muş, was released from Sincan Women’s Closed Prison on Wednesday. Many women, including the Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party) Muş MP Sümeyye Boz, welcomed her in front of the prison.

In the local elections of 2014, Sabite Ekinci was elected as the mayor of Varto from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). On November 9, 2026, she was detained and transferred to Muş E-type Closed Prison as part of an investigation launched against her over terrorism charges.

She was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison by Muş High Criminal Court on charges of “membership in a (terrorist) organization”.  After her prison sentence was upheld by the Turkish Supreme Court, she was transferred to Sincan Women’s Closed Prison. On June 28, the Sincan Women’s Closed Prison Administrative and Observation Board postponed her release for three months on the ground that she did not maintain “good behavior”.