The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appointed the prosecutor behind the criminal investigations of the opposition as Minister of Justice.

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday the appointment of Akin Gurlek, the chief prosecutor of Istanbul, as the Minister of Justice, according to the Official Gazette. The reasons for this reshuffle were not specified.

Akin Gurlek replaces Yilmaz Tunc, who resigned, and the portfolio of the Ministry of Interior will be taken over by Mustafa Ciftci, the governor of Erzurum province. Akin Gurlek has been involved in political controversies, issuing an arrest warrant for the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, an action considered politically motivated and which generated massive protests. Since taking office as chief prosecutor, Gurlek has arrested over 15 opposition mayors and ordered investigations into members of the CHP party, which has sparked accusations from the opposition that target President Erdogan's rivals.