Turkey: Clashes as Mayor testifies over legal probes

Istanbul: Police on Friday fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who clashed with officers outside an Istanbul courthouse while rallying in support of the city’s mayor, who was called to give testimony in two new legal probes against him.

Ekrem Imamoglu, a potential future leader of Turkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and a possible challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, testified before prosecutors for two hours.

The testimony was in connection with comments he made about a chief prosecutor and a court expert. Critics argue that these probes are part of an effort to remove Imamoglu from the political scene.

The politician has already been convicted of charges of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council and faces a political ban if his conviction in 2022 is upheld by a high court. He is also on trial on charges that he was involved in the alleged rigging of bids in a tender dating back to 2015.

Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Caglayan courthouse to protest the legal actions against Imamoglu. Tensions escalated when riot police blocked a CHP bus, which serves as a podium for politicians, from approaching the courthouse. The move led to clashes between the protesters and the police.