A Turkish court has jailed Istanbul mayor Ekren Imamoglu on charges of corruption. This order comes days after Erdogan's main political rival was detained on charges of corruption and aiding terrorist organisations. As per the latest reports, Imamoglu has been jailed, pending trial.
The court's decision comes after nationwide protests broke out across Turkey against the arrest of the mayor.
After his arrest, members of the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticised the actions against him as "politically motivated."
On Friday evening, around 300,000 protesters took part in the rally outside the Istanbul City Hall. While the protest was peaceful, certain demonstrators clashed with riot police as the police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. Around 343 protestors were also detained by authorities.,
Along with Imamoglu, 20 others have been jailed as part of an corruption investigation.
Imamoglu's arrest also comes days before the Republican People라이브 바카라 Party (CHP) members held their primary election, in which Imamoglu was likely to be elected as the presidential candidate for the 2028 Turkish national elections.
As per prosecutors, Imamoglu has been accused of extortion, money laundering and irregularities concerning tenders and procurements. Furthermore, the mayor has also been suspected of aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), which have been deemed as terrorist organisations by Turkey.
