Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial Monday along with more than 400 other defendants on charges of widespread corruption in what critics see as a politically motivated move against Turkey’s opposition.
Imamoglu, who has been behind bars for nearly a year, is the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 23-year rule. Within days of his arrest, he was chosen as the main opposition candidate for the 2028 elections.
The trial began in a tense atmosphere, with Imamoglu asking to speak and a panel of judges denying the request, Haq TV news channel and other media reported. The judge left the court accusing Imamoglu of obstructing the proceedings. The hearing was adjourned till noon.
Most of the 402 defendants worked for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, headed by Imamoglu since 2019. Many are elected officials from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and journalists are among the accused.
Imamoglu’s arrest on March 19 last year sparked weeks of street protests, the largest seen in Turkey in more than a decade.
Read moreTurkish prosecutor seeks 2,352-year sentence for jailed opposition mayor Imamoglu
He faces 142 charges, including founding the “Imamoglu criminal organization for profit” since 2015, when he was mayor of Istanbul’s Belikduzu district. The 3,900-page indictment accuses the accused not only of enriching himself through a system of bid-rigging and pay-offs, but also of financing Imamoglu’s rise in the CHP, which eventually led to his presidential candidacy.
If convicted, he faces up to 2,000 years in prison.
In a newspaper article published Friday, Imamoglu described Monday’s trial as “one of the toughest tests of democracy” in Turkey’s history and “an attempt to override the will of the people.”
The case is one of several charges that could lead to jail time and a ban from politics for the 54-year-old mayor. Others include claims of terrorism, espionage, falsifying his university diploma and insulting officials.
Critics of the government say a broad judicial campaign against the opposition, including elected CHP members, mayors of other major cities, will face separate terrorism and corruption charges. The party leadership is under legal pressure over alleged irregularities surrounding the 2023 Congress.
The scale and expected length of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality trial, which could last for years, has seen authorities build a new courtroom at the prison complex in Silivri, west of Istanbul, where Imamoglu and many other defendants are being held. Until that is completed, participants are squeezed into an existing room in the prison.
To highlight the political nature of prosecutions against CHP members, Imamoglu’s supporters and human rights groups point to a series of factors, including the role of Istanbul’s chief prosecutor. Deputy Justice Minister Akin Gurlek was appointed to that office in late 2024, where he launched a series of investigations targeting CHP figures. Last month, he returned to government as justice minister.
Critics say the prosecution relies on “secret witnesses,” whose identities are hidden from defense lawyers, and defendants testify against their co-accused, violating their right to a fair trial.
The government maintains that Turkey’s judiciary is independent and impartial.
Although demonstrations were banned around the Silivri prison complex, hundreds gathered to demand Imamoglu’s release. The CHP set up a replica of the cell where the mayor was – Furnished with a desk, a chair, and a small television – To meet supporters.
Benjamin Ward, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, described the cases against the CHP over the past year as “weaponizing the criminal justice system.”
“Looking at these cases as a whole, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that prosecutors are trying to remove Imamoglu from politics and discredit his party in a way that undermines democracy,” he said.
(AP with France 24)
(tags to translate)Asia / Pacific
