Turkish authorities on Thursday arrested Mehmet Pehlivan, lawyer for imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Turkish authorities on Thursday arrested Mehmet Pehlivan, lawyer for imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed “concern” for the “arrests and protests” in Turkey, warning that the showdown between Imamoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could destabilize a NATO member and U.S. ally.
Protest rallies have been held across Turkey every day since Imamoglu was arrested on March 19 on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group. The popular Istanbul mayor is seen as the strongest rival to Erdogan in over two decades of the authoritarian president’s rule. Imamoglu was nominated as the presidential candidate of his CHP party last Sunday, even though he was in jail.
Demonstrations in support of Imamoglu quickly became the largest street protests Turkey has seen in over ten years, despite Erdogan’s efforts to ban the rallies. CHP has denounced Turkish police for using excessive force against the protesters and claims the charges against Imamoglu were fabricated so Erdogan could eliminate his leading rival.
