In Turkey, the lawyer defending jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has himself been imprisoned amid what he calls a politically motivated purge. Mehmet Pehlivan, who represents İmamoğlu (President Erdoğan’s main rival), was detained in June on charges of belonging to a “criminal organization,” a charge he insists is entirely fabricated. Pehlivan told Reuters from prison that his arrest is meant to “criminalise the right to a legal defence” – effectively making the practice of law itself a punishable act under Turkey’s politicized judiciary. He noted that his work for the opposition mayor was purely professional, yet he faces accusations based on meetings and calls that “never” happened. Pehlivan warns that “for the first time in the Republic’s history, practising the law has been categorised as a crime,” calling it a threat to all lawyers defending dissidents. Ankara has widened its post-election “crackdown” to dozens of opposition figures in recent weeks, drawing condemnation from rights groups that say Turkey’s judges are being wielded to sideline democratic opponents. Supporters of Istanbul’s opposition mayor rally on July 1, 2025, to mark 100 days since his detention. The mayor’s lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was jailed in June on charges widely seen as trumped-up.