Erdogan's number 1 enemy in court: I am here because I won, whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey

The trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu, accused of making statements against the head of the Istanbul prosecutor's office, has been postponed to June 16. This case precedes and is not related to the cases that led to his arrest on March 19, Proto Thema reports.

The defense of the detained Istanbul mayor reacted sharply to the fact that the trial was moved to the special room in the Silivri prison, where he is being held, and not in the Istanbul court building, and stated that the conditions for a fair trial were not met.

Ekrem İmamoğlu himself stated: "I am here because I won the Istanbul elections three times. "Whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey", that's why I am a prisoner today.

Supporters of İmamoğlu and members of the opposition Republican People's Party, to which he belongs, had gathered outside the prison in Silivri, and lawyers, deputies and party officials were present in the courtroom. Gendarmerie forces had taken strict security measures around the prison and on the roads leading to it.

The prosecutorial investigation against Ekrem İmamoğlu in the case was ordered on January 20 due to statements he made in a television interview concerning the head of the Istanbul prosecutor's office, Akin Gürklek, and his family. First as a judge and then as a prosecutor, Gürklek, 43, has played a prominent role in major trials related to the persecution of opposition figures, and was previously deputy justice minister.