A rally in support of Ekrem Imamoglu at the Anitkabir mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on National Sovereignty and Child's Day in Ankara on April 23.
Photographer: Serdar Ozsoy/Getty ImagesTurkey’s Opposition Under Fire as Erdogan Rival Goes on Trial
Ekrem Imamoglu is expected in court on Wednesday as his CHP party condemns what it calls a widening crackdown on its mayors and officials.
His portrait has been removed from the public buildings from which it used to hang. His Turkish X account has been blocked. But on Wednesday, Ekrem Imamoglu is expected back in public view. The Istanbul mayor, who was suspended after he was detained by the authorities on March 19, is scheduled to appear in court facing charges of threatening the city’s chief public prosecutor. If found guilty, he faces up to seven years in prison and a ban from politics.
Before his arrest, Imamoglu, 55, was widely seen as the strongest threat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to extend his hold on power, but the outcome of Wednesday’s trial could end any last hope of him being the opposition’s candidate at the 2028 presidential election.