Istanbul mayor's jailed lawyer denounces ‘fabricated' charges
Mehmet Pehlivan, who had already been detained for a day in March, was held last month on charges of membership of an unspecified criminal organization.
A probe into the main opposition party, Imamoglu's CHP, was expanded well beyond Istanbul at the weekend, and dozens were detained.
The arrest in March of Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, sparked the biggest street protests in a decade, and a sharp selloff in the lira and other Turkish assets.
In written responses from prison, Pehlivan said his arrest amounted to a bid to criminalize not only legal defense but the profession of lawyers as a whole:
'We are faced with a mindless judicial practice that has severed its ties with reality and truth.'
Pehlivan said the evidence presented against him was false and based on a purported phone call and meetings he had never held, and alleged ties to a person he had never met. He said his work for Imamoglu had been restricted to his duties as a lawyer.
'For the first time in the Republic's history, the practicing the law has been categorized as a crime,' he wrote. 'Even if this categorization causes a result for me today, its impact is a threat to all lawyers.'
The government rejects opposition allegations that the probe is politicized and anti-democratic, saying the judiciary is independent.
In a statement on Sunday, Erdogan's office said that members of the ruling AK Party had also been investigated and arrested in the past over similar crimes.
The office did not immediately respond to Pehlivan's allegation that the charges against him were baseless and a threat to legitimate legal activity.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Al Arabiya
15 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Iran lays down conditions for resumption of nuclear talks with US
Iran is ready to resume nuclear talks with the United States as long as some principles are respected, deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday, a day before a meeting with European powers in Istanbul. The Iranian diplomat said talks could resume as long as Tehran's rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are recognized, Washington builds trust with Tehran and guarantees that negotiations will not lead to renewed military action against Iran.


Al Arabiya
15 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Greece warns Turkey over EU defense scheme
Greece has warned Turkey that it may block Turkish access to a European Union defense fund unless Ankara guarantees that the weapons will not be used to target Athens. There are historic tensions between EU member Greece and neighbouring Turkey over sovereignty rights in the Aegean Sea and, more recently, over energy exploration and migration. Turkey, which is a member of NATO but not the EU, is technically eligible to access EU defense industry financing and joint procurement programmes as part of the bloc's 150-billion-euro ($176-billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative. But Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said late on Wednesday that his country would not allow Turkey to take part in the defense scheme if it continued to threaten war against Greece and question its sovereignty in the Aegean Sea. 'Greece will not allow it,' the conservative leader told Skai TV. Turkey maintains a longstanding threat of war should Greece unilaterally expand its territorial waters in the Aegean. Mitsotakis pointed out that all 27 EU members would have to agree before Turkey could access SAFE funds. 'Unanimity is required,' he stressed. His comments came hours after Germany said it had approved the delivery of Eurofighter jets to Turkey. Turkey had been in talks for several years on buying 40 of the aircraft, which are constructed by a consortium from Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain. Conditions The Typhoon jets are to be built in Britain and London is leading the negotiations. All members of the consortium must sign off on the sale and Germany, which has clashed with Turkey over Israel's war on Gaza, had objected until now. After Germany gave the green light to the sale, the Turkish and British defense ministers signed a preliminary agreement in Istanbul on Wednesday for the delivery of the jets. Mitsotakis said that while Greece could, if deemed necessary, block Turkey from accessing SAFE funds, it could not actually prevent the Eurofighter deal. It could, however, set conditions. 'Turkey is a large country with a strong defense industry,' he said. 'And if someone believes they can block any purchase of defense equipment by Turkey, they are deeply ignorant. It has never happened. It cannot happen. 'What can happen, however, is that we make our European allies aware that there will be contingencies and conditions regarding the way these aircraft will be delivered, potentially used and supported in the future,' he said. The EU has launched a raft of initiatives aimed at raising up to 800 billion euros to help member countries bolster their defenses. SAFE is a 150-billion-euro financing package designed to strengthen European defense capabilities and reduce dependence on NATO and the United States. The scheme offers low-interest loans for procurement and can include third countries with whom the EU has a security and defense partnership, such as Turkey.


Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Turkiye FM urges Russia, Ukraine to end ‘bloody war'
ISTANBUL: The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine opened on Wednesday evening in Istanbul, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urging both sides to end the 'bloody war' as soon as possible. 'Our aim is to end this bloody war, which has a very high cost, as soon as possible ... The ultimate goal is a ceasefire that will pave the way to peace,' Fidan said as he opened the negotiations. Turkiye, which has good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors, has provided drones for Ukraine and shied away from Western-led sanctions on Moscow. Fidan thanked Russian and Ukrainian leaders Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky for demonstrating 'the will to hold these talks,' as well US President Donald Trump for his calls for an end to the war. He said the first and second round of talks, which also took place in Istanbul, achieved 'significant results.' 'We are pleased to see that the prisoner exchanges carried out to date have been appreciated by the international community in terms of their humanitarian outcomes,' he said. 'We also consider it an important development that the parties exchanged memoranda reflecting their perspectives on the ceasefire and peace during the second round of talks,' he added. 'Our hope for this third round of negotiations is that the parties will hold substantive and results-oriented consultations on the memorandums they have exchanged.' Fidan also said if a ceasefire is agreed, Turkiye has 'the necessary infrastructure in place for a monitoring mechanism.' 'The Istanbul talks provide us with an opportunity to show the world that diplomacy and dialogue are more effective than conflict and weapons in securing peace.'