Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is in jail on charges of corruption, was brought before a court today on charges of attempting to “intimidate” the Istanbul prosecutor general.
Ekrem Imamoglu was brought to the court surrounded by gendarmes and was received with applause and expressions of support from the audience.
The Istanbul mayor was also arraigned in April at the same court, which is located inside the Silivri prison where he is being held. The case is unrelated to the charges for which he was arrested.
Ekrem Imamoglu had publicly questioned the integrity of Istanbul’s prosecutor general in January. He was charged with insult and attempted intimidation.
The city’s prosecutor general and former deputy justice minister is accused of prosecuting political opponents of President Erdogan.
According to the Turkish press, Ekrem Imamoglu, an opposition figure and key political opponent of Erdogan, faces a 7 to 9-month jail sentence and deprivation of political rights for these charges.
The Istanbul mayor was arrested on March 19 on suspicion of corruption and terrorist activity. The first charge led to his temporary detention.
His arrest had triggered protests across Turkey, the largest since 2013.
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