Turkish court jails Istanbul mayor Imamoglu pending trial

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00:00Turkish police lines up outside this courthouse in Istanbul, where the decision was made to

00:05jail the city's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and four of his aides pending trial on corruption

00:10and terror-related charges.

00:13His arrest, which sparked protests across the country, came just days before he was

00:17to have been formally named as the 2028 presidential candidate for the main opposition party, the

00:22CHP. He was considered one of President Erdogan's strongest political challengers.

00:28Many demonstrators view his detention as a political attempt by Erdogan to eliminate

00:32a key rival from the next presidential race.

00:36Whatever the people want should happen. I think Erdogan should go. If everyone is here,

00:42there must be a reason.

00:45I'm here for democracy, for the future of my children and grandchildren. I'm here for

00:50them.

00:54Regarding the protests, the Turkish president has accused the opposition of trying to disturb

00:58public peace and polarise the nation.

01:03I would like to remind you once again that the days of taking to the streets and wagging

01:07the finger at the national will by taking leftist organisations, marginalised groups

01:12and vandals with you are long gone. The days when politics and justice were directed through

01:18street terrorism are a thing of the past with the old Turkey.

01:23Erdogan and his party have denied claims of his involvement in İmamoğlu's arrest, insisting

01:27Turkey's judiciary is independent. The CHP party is pushing ahead with a symbolic primary

01:32vote for its presidential candidate this Sunday.

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