From his cell, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, the president's main political opponent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denounced this Friday the arrest of his lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, which he described as "arbitrary" and "political." On the X network, the elected official demanded his immediate release, accusing the government of "wanting to add a legal coup to the democratic coup."
This arrest comes amid an already volatile climate. Since Imamoglu's arrest on March 19 on corruption charges he denies, the country has been rocked by a wave of protests unprecedented since the 2013 protests. Two more journalists were arrested this Friday morning, bringing the total number of people arrested to 1, according to the Interior Ministry. Nearly 879 remain in custody.
Opposition figure Imamoglu becomes symbol of democracy in peril
Designated by the CHP as its presidential candidate on Monday, Imamoglu appears to embody a credible alternative for a galvanized opposition. His arrest transformed the party's internal vote into a popular plebiscite: millions of citizens mobilized to support him, notably in Istanbul's Taksim Square, a historic center of anti-regime protests.
The increasingly nervous government is showing signs of hardening its stance. Analysts fear that Turkey is slipping into a more assertive form of authoritarianism, while a possible early candidacy by Erdogan in 2028 would require constitutional reform. A risky bet: every day, anger swells in the streets, fueled by young people weary of a regime they consider repressive and exhausted.
