The prison transfer of Mehmet Pehlivan, the lawyer for the detained Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, has sparked controversy. Pehlivan was transferred from the Karatepe High-Security Penal Institution in Çorlu to the Kandıra F-Type Prison on October 3.
The fact that the transfer took place while the trial process was ongoing has drawn reactions from legal circles. In his statement regarding the transfer, Pehlivan also reacted to the timing of the procedure, noting that he would have seen his daughter during the open visitation held once a month.
If I hadn't been transferred, I would have seen my daughter, whom I can only meet once a month during open visitation. Was the purpose of this transfer, carried out in such a rush in the middle of the night, exactly this? Did you want to prevent me from seeing my daughter and hurt me?
Following reactions from lawyer professional organizations and bar associations, legal expert Prof. Dr. Ümit Kocasakal also visited Pehlivan. In a statement made after the visit, Kocasakal said that the transfer could not be described as a "routine procedure."
Transferring a lawyer miles away in the middle of the night, without notice and without providing a justification, is not called a "routine procedure." There is no such thing as a routine for lawlessness or oppression.
Kocasakal stated that Pehlivan's morale is high and that he is aware of the solidarity, adding that they will be by his side during his trial. Emphasizing that the legal and humanitarian justification for the transfer must be explained to the public, Kocasakal said, "In a state of law, every action has a justification, and every authority has a limit."
In his statement, Kocasakal added, "Every act of lawlessness that is dismissed as 'routine' today will have legal consequences tomorrow. No one is above the law."
News Source: 12punto
