Jailed Istanbul mayor appears in court as supporters gather outside his prison

ISTANBUL (AP) — Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor appeared in court Friday in one of multiple cases against him.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, where the hearing was taking place.

Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been held at Silivri since March 23. The case alleges that he threatened a public prosecutor and is one of six that predate his arrest last month, which led to nationwide protests.

Addressing the judge, Imamoglu said he was in court because he had won three elections against the person “who thinks he owns Istanbul,” a reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who launched his political career as the city’s mayor in the 1990s. Erdogan was heavily involved in backing his party’s candidates against Imamoglu.

The hearing was attended by Imamoglu’s wife and son, as well as lawmakers from the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Halk TV and other outlets reported. The case was adjourned to June 16.

The mayor, who is also the main opposition challenger to Erdogan’s 22-year rule at the next election, faces more than seven yearsin prison and a political ban for allegedly “targeting, threatening and insulting persons working in the fight against terrorism.”

The charge stems from comments he made on Jan. 20 in which he criticized Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gurlek over criminal cases brought against other opposition figures.

Imamoglu was arrested on March 19 in relation to two investigations, one focusing on corruption in the Istanbul municipality and another alleging terrorism links in his party’s electoral pact with pro-Kurdish politicians.

Demonstrations calling for his release and an end to Turkey’s democratic backsliding under Erdogan led to some 2,000 people being detained for attending protests banned by the authorities.

The mayor was officially nominated as the CHP presidential candidate while in custody. An election is due to be held in 2028 but may come sooner, and Imamoglu’s imprisonment has been widely viewed as politically motivated although the government insists Turkey’s judiciary is independent and free of political influence.

Also Friday, two other courts in Istanbul were also holding hearings on cases against Imamoglu.

One is a bid-rigging case that dates back 10 years, when he was mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district. The other alleges illegal donation collection and stems from a video circulated in the runup to last year’s local elections showing CHP staff counting bundles of cash.