Friday, the mayor of opposition imprisoned from Istanbul appeared before the court in one of the several cases against him. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, where the hearing took place.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been organized in Silivri since March 23. The case alleys that he threatened a prosecutor and is one of the six prior to his arrest last month, which led to national demonstrations.
Addressing the judge, Imamoglu said he was in court because he had won three elections against the person “who thinks he has Istanbul”, a reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who launched his political career as mayor of the city in the 1990s.
The hearing was followed by the wife and son of Imamoglu, as well as legislators of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Halk TV and other points of sale. The case was adjourned until June 16.
The mayor, who is also the main challenger of the 22 -year -old reign of Erdogan in the next national elections, risks more than seven years in prison and a political ban for “people threatening, threatening and insulting people working in the fight against terrorism”.
The accusation follows from the comments he made on January 20, in which he criticized the chief prosecutor of Istanbul, Akin Gurlek, on criminal affairs brought against other opposition personalities.
Politically motivated accusations, said the opposition
The Imamoglu was arrested on March 19 in relation to two investigations – a corruption focused in the municipality of Istanbul and another which altered terrorism in the electoral pact of its party with pro -Kurdish politicians.
Demonstrations calling for its release and an end to the Democrat decline in Turkey under Erdogan led some 2,000 people to be detained for having attended demonstrations prohibited by the authorities.
Supporters of the popular mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, clashed with the anti-riot police after his arrest for allegations of corruption and helping a terrorist group. Political rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Imamoglu had to go to the next national elections.
The mayor was officially appointed as a presidential candidate of the CHP when he was in detention. An election should be held in 2028 but could come earlier, and the imprisonment of Imamoglu was largely considered motivated by a political motivation, although the government insists on the judiciary of Turkey is independent and without political influence.
On Friday, two other courts of Istanbul held audiences on cases against Imamoglu.
One is a case of Gicilles which dates back 10 years, when he was mayor of the Beylikduzu district of Istanbul. The other alleges the collection of illegal donations and stems from a video broadcast as the local elections from last year showed that the CHP staff had the silver bundles.
In 2019, Imamoglu was forced to a repeated election for the mayor after the ruling party challenged the first vote on alleged irregularities, and the Turkey Electoral Council canceled the results and revoked the mandate of Imamoglu after 18 days. Many voters were indignant and he won a second vote.
