Turkey Arrests Jailed Erdogan Rival's Lawyer, Widening Crackdown.

ISTANBUL (Turkey); TURKEY

The article focuses on the arrest of Mehmet Pehlivan, a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, amid a broader crackdown on opposition figures in Turkey. A Turkish court charged Pehlivan with membership in a "crime ring," which he claims is part of a "judicial conspiracy" against Imamoglu, who was imprisoned on corruption charges shortly before announcing his presidential candidacy for the 2028 elections. The situation has sparked nationwide protests and raised concerns about democratic backsliding, with the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), alleging that the government is using the judiciary to undermine political rivals. The government, however, maintains that the judiciary operates independently and dismisses claims of political motivation behind the arrests. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Bloomberg.com is the property of Bloomberg, L.P. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)