Dilek Hatipoğlu was elected mayor of Hakkari in the local elections of March 30, 2014 with a total of 17,861 votes and a score of 66.83%.

The former mayor was arrested on November 17, 2016 and detained at Sincan Prison in Ankara. She was beaten and strip searched during her transfer to Van Prison. She was sentenced to 2 years, 2 months and 20 days in prison for "embezzlement" and to 13 years for "belonging to a terrorist organization"

She is accused of "abuse of power" and "embezzlement".

A new arrest warrant has been issued against Hatipoğlu who is already in prison.

Hatipoğlu holds a degree in Business administration and is the mother of two children.