| Hi there, Political interference in anti-corruption work is nothing new. Sometimes it's down to political infighting, sometimes to lawmakers' fear of exposure or prosecution – but governments and political operatives often can't resist the temptation to disrupt the efforts of anti-corruption agencies and NGOs looking into high-level corruption and abuse of power. Take Brazil, where accusations of political inferference are flying amid the long-running Operation Car Wash corruption probe. Was it a political move to disband the probe's task force? And what to make of the congressional committee vote not to try President Temer over bribery allegations the same week a lawmaker tasked with studying the case recommended it should proceed? Indonesia's anti-corruption agency, the KPK, has been under renewed threat from political factions concerned with its probe of a major public procurement process: uncooperative witnesses and a congressional inquiry into the KPK are just part of the pushback. This week we called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to protect the KPK so it can carry out its work free from intimidation. And in Turkey, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues its clampdown on all manner of civil society groups since the failed coup a year ago, recently detaining human rights workers on allegations of membership in an armed terrorist group. Amnesty International, Avaaz, Human Rights Watch, the International Trade Union Confederation and Transparency International have co-signed an open letter calling on world leaders to defend human rights workers in Turkey and beyond. | 
