Reaction from Fevziye Şahin, mother of Mehmet and Abdülhamit Pehlivan: 'My children's heads are high, their foreheads are white'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan and Bakırköy Deputy Mayor Abdülhamit Pehlivan's mother, Fevziye Şahin, made a statement regarding the detention of their two sons.

Lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan, who was arrested on June 19, 2025 within the scope of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality investigation, has been in prison for approximately 17 months, while his brother Abdülhamit Pehlivan was arrested on October 31 as part of the investigation against Bakırköy Municipality.

Sharing a post on his social media account after the arrest of his two sons, Şahin expressed his pain and reaction.

'MY HEAVIEST DAY IS THE DAY I WAS TOOK AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN'

Reacting to his separation from his sons, Şahin said in his statement:

"If one day they ask, 'What was the heaviest day of your life and one that you will never forgive?' My heaviest day is the day I was separated from my children. My first pain was the one with whom I started life over again, my dear Abdülhamit, my black-eyed one... You took my child, who kept me alive and breathed my life, from me, just like you did to his brother."

'YOU SEPARATE TWO GIRLS FROM THEIR FATHER'

Stating that he was proud of his sons' dedication to their profession, Şahin drew attention to the impact of the arrests on their families.

Şahin continued his statement as follows:

"He is my greatest pride with his merit, dedication to his profession, compassion and fair stance. You not only separated a mother from her child, but also two daughters from their father, and her husband from his companion. My sorrow arises from a mother's longing for her child and the injustice she suffered. I am not even counting the cruelties you committed!"

'I WILL HAVE BOTH HANDS ON YOUR SIDE IN BOTH WORLDS'

Continuing his reaction to his sons' detention, Şahin stated that he wanted the legal struggle to continue and used the following statements:

"I will have both my hands on your side in both worlds. I will never forgive you. I will wish until my last breath that this injustice be held accountable before the law and justice. My children's heads are high, their foreheads are white. You could not break our love and family ties. I am proud of both my children. I will be with them until my last breath."

Şahin also included the hashtags #AbdülhamitPehlivanaÖzgürlük and #MehmetPehlivanaÖzgürlük in his post.