A second lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been detained in northern Turkey as part of an expanding corruption investigation into the opposition-run Istanbul Municipality, Turkish media reported.
Nusret Yılmaz, who also represents İmamoğlu’s wife, was taken into custody in the Black Sea province of Trabzon on allegations of “mediating bribery.” He was escorted by police to Istanbul for questioning.
The move comes after another of İmamoğlu’s, lawyers, Mehmet Pehlivan, was arrested June 19 on charges of belonging to a criminal organization. Pehlivan rejected denied the accusation at the time, saying the only organizations he belonged to were the Turkish Bar Association and the Istanbul Bar.
The arrest of his two lawyers have intensified criticism that the government is attempting to weaken the legal defense of İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). CHP officials called the detentions acts of intimidation and part of a broader campaign targeting opposition figures.
Critics expressed outrage on social media.
Journalist Naz Yavuzarslan wrote on X that “at this rate, they will even detain the midwife who brought İmamoğlu into the world,” calling the wave of arrests absurd.
CHP deputy from the southeastern province of Gaziantep Melih Meriç said the detention of Yılmaz violated the “sacred and inviolable right of defense,” describing it as “a direct attack on the principle of justice” and warning that silencing lawyers means silencing “millions in their pursuit of justice.”
İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s worst protests in decades.
Since late 2024, more than 500 people linked to the party or the İstanbul Municipality have been detained or arrested on a range of charges, from terrorism to bid rigging, in what critics say is a systematic crackdown.
Among them are 14 CHP mayors, including İmamoğlu, who was also suspended from office.
The party and its supporters say the operations targeting the CHP are designed to neutralize elected officials and sideline opposition leaders after the party’s gains in the March 2024 local elections.
İmamoğlu, who faces multiple investigations, has been sentenced to two prison terms, including one for allegedly insulting a public prosecutor. Both sentences are under appeal, but opposition leaders claim the charges are politically motivated.
International human rights groups and lawmakers in Europe have raised concerns over the rule of law in Turkey, warning that the mass detentions and legal pressures could further erode democratic norms. The Marmara Prison in Silivri, where many opposition figures, including İmamoğlu, are being held, has become a symbol of the country’s deepening political tensions.
