Tensions spill into 3rd day of trial for İmamoğlu

ISTANBUL

Judges on March 11 continued to hear the defenses of the defendants in the trial involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as tensions in the courtroom spilled into the third day.

Detained on March 19 last year and held in pre-trial arrest ever since, İmamoğlu attended the opening session of a sprawling graft case at the Silivri Courthouse, in which prosecutors are seeking a combined prison sentence of 2,430 years.

Tension remained high on the third day of the sessions, when senior Istanbul Municipality official Yavuz Saltık greeted those at the courtroom.

When he lingered and did not take his seat, the gendarmerie intervened to have him sit down, sparking an argument between some defendants and the officers. Defense lawyers also criticized the gendarmerie.

After the brief dispute, the remaining defendants were admitted to the courtroom. The presiding judge instructed the gendarmerie.

The tension in the first two days stemmed from İmamoğlu’s bid to speak before his defense, which the judge had denied. Following identity verifications, the court began by reading a summary of the indictment.

İmamoğlu later took the floor.

Highlighting that the court’s refusal to listen to him was inconsistent with Turkish law and judicial norms, İmamoğlu said:

“You have just read a summary of the indictment in which my name appears on every page. One of the most significant political cases in the history of the Republic of Türkiye is being launched.”

“I believe telling me ‘I am not listening to you’ or ‘You do not have the right to speak’ is not consistent with the esteemed Turkish judiciary and its laws.”

Given the unusually large number of defendans — more than 400 — court authorities had begun constructing a new courtroom specifically for the trial. However, the facility was not completed in time. The initial sessions of the trial are expected to last more than a month.