Erdogan rival jailed for Turkish mayor, first court appearance since arrest

The opposition mayor, who was sentenced to jail in Istanbul, appeared in court on Friday, with one targeting him. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the Siliviri prison west of Istanbul and the hearing is taking place.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been in Silivry since March 23. The case said he threatened a prosecutor and was one of six arrested last month, leading to nationwide protests.

Speaking to the judge, Imamoglu said he was in court because he won three elections for “the people who think they have Istanbul”, a reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who started his political career as mayor in the 1990s.

Imamogru's wife and son, as well as lawmakers from the Republican People's Party (CHP), Hawke TV and other stores attended the hearing. The case was adjourned until June 16.

The mayor, who is also the main opposition challenger for Erdogan's 22-year rule in the next national election, faces more than seven years in prison and a political ban on alleged “targeting, threatening and insulting people in the fight against terrorism.”

The allegation stems from his comments on January 20, where he criticized Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akin Gurlek for criminal cases against other opposition figures.

Opposition says politically motivated accusations

Imamoglu was arrested on March 19 for two investigations – one focused on corruption in the Istanbul municipal government and another accusing terrorism of terrorism in the election agreement between pro-Kurdian politicians.

The demonstrations demanded that he release him and end Turkey's democracy under Erdogan's backward sliding has resulted in about 2,000 people being detained for participating in the authorities' ban on protests.

The mayor was formally nominated as a presidential candidate for the health guardian during his detention. The elections will be held in 2028, but may be faster, and despite the government's insistence that Turkey's judiciary is independent and has no political influence, Imamogru's imprisonment has been widely regarded as politically motivated.

Two other courts in Istanbul also held a hearing on Friday on the case against Imamoglu.

One is a bidding case, which dates back 10 years, when he was the mayor of the Beylikduzu region of Istanbul. Other collections of claims of illegal donations, and originated from a videotape in the local elections last year, show the Centre for Health Protection calculating cash bundles.

In 2019, after the ruling party raised the first vote challenge for suspected violations, Imamoglu was forced to repeat the mayor, and Turkey's election commission revoked Imamoglu's mission 18 days later. Many voters were angry and he won the second vote.