Imamoglu, 53, appeared in Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Friday to face charges of threatening, insulting and targeting an official and attempting to influence a trial.
“I did not engage in any actions targeting any individual. I can’t act in this manner. I do not accept the charges against me”, Imamoglu told prosecutors.
The charges were brought over Imamoglu’s criticism of legal cases brought against municipalities run by the opposition, including his own Republican People’s Party (CHP). His testimony included comments about a court expert and a chief prosecutor.
In Turkiye, where rights groups claimed judicial independence had declined during Erdogan’s two-decade rule, the case against him is the most recent in a line of legal disputes.
Imamoglu has already been found guilty of insulting Turkiye’s Supreme Electoral Council members, and if his conviction is overturned on appeal, he could be banned from politics. He is also facing a trial on charges that he allegedly manipulated bids in a 2015 tender.
On Friday, thousands of his supporters gathered outside the court to protest the Imamoglu case’s legal action.
When riot police prevented a CHP bus from approaching the courthouse, tensions escalated. The protesters and police exchanged tear gas as a result of the action. If any arrests had been made, it was unclear.
Later, Imamoglu addressed the crowds at a different location from the bus’s top.
“Today’s issue is … an issue of seeking rights and justice”, the mayor said. “Unfortunately, today’s issue stems from a conspiracy that is being set up against Istanbul”.
Ankara’s opposition mayor Mansur Yavas, who was there to support Imamoglu, also accused the government of turning Turkiye into an “open prison”.
Turkish authorities regularly target critical journalists, lawyers and elected political representatives with criminal charges, especially since a failed 2016 coup against Erdogan’s government.
“The government is trying to limit the space for opponents, including journalists, and intimidate them with unfair accusations”, Fethi Kocaer, 71, who was in the crowd outside the court, told the AFP news agency. He held a banner reading: “We will fight together”.
“Mayor Imamoglu’s courage and strong stance will help unite us. We will continue to fight injustice instead of giving up.
Imamoglu was elected as Istanbul’s leader for the first time in March 2019. His victory was a blow to Justice and Development (AK) Party under Erdogan’s rule, which had ruled Istanbul for 25 years.
The AK Party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million people, alleging irregularities. Imamoglu also won the election a few months later as a result of the challenge.
Imamoglu was re-elected mayor of Turkiye’s’s largest city last year.
Turkish authorities have removed a number of elected mayors from the CHP and pro-Kurdish parties in recent years, saying they were linked to “terrorism”-related investigations.
Human Rights Watch’s Emma Sinclair-Webb, director of Turkiye, claimed that democracy was being undermined by the practice of appointing government trustees and replacing mayors.
According to Sinclair-Webb, “this is a significant assault on the right of voters to elect their chosen representatives,” and it is a violation of the right to free and fair elections.
Source: Aljazeera
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