ANKARA, Turkey — In the latest escalation of Turkey’s crackdown on opposition figures, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu remains jailed amid claims that his legal defense team is facing fabricated charges aimed at criminalizing their profession. His lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, who has been in custody since last month, described the allegations as entirely unfounded, asserting that they threaten the very concept of legal defense in the country.
Pehlivan, who previously faced a day of detention in March, has been accused of belonging to an unspecified criminal organization. This charges come as authorities broaden their investigation into the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), leading to the detention of dozens of its members over the weekend. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel criticized these arrests, only to find himself under scrutiny as well.
The arrest of Imamoglu, who stands as a significant opposition leader to President Tayyip Erdogan, triggered widespread protests across Turkey—marking the most significant civil unrest in a decade. Following the recent detentions, Turkey’s lira experienced further declines, heightening concerns about the nation’s economic stability.
Pehlivan expressed his views on the matter in written communications from prison, calling the legal proceedings against him absurd and disconnected from genuine legal principles. He insisted that the accusations stem from a fabricated narrative lacking substantive evidence, including allegations of non-existent meetings and associations. The lawyer noted that his professional relationship with Imamoglu has remained strictly within legal boundaries.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Pehlivan remarked, “For the first time in Turkish history, the act of practicing law is being criminalized.” He emphasized that while his personal circumstances might seem isolated, the implications of these actions pose a broader threat to the legal community.
Pehlivan contended that Imamoglu’s arrest appears to be a politically motivated maneuver aimed at diminishing Erdogan’s electoral competition, pointing out the absence of tangible evidence against the mayor. The Turkish government, however, has dismissed accusations of political bias in these investigations, asserting that the judiciary operates independently.
In a recent statement, Erdogan’s office emphasized that members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) have also been targeted in past investigations. Pehlivan raised concerns regarding the possibility that government officials and sympathetic media outlets were illegally accessing confidential court documents related to his case.
As the situation develops, the legal battles for Imamoglu and Pehlivan raise critical questions about the state of justice and political freedom in Turkey.
This article was automatically generated by Open AI and may contain inaccuracies or misrepresentations of individuals, facts, or events. Requests for corrections, retractions, or removals can be directed to contact@publiclawlibrary.org.