Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
The day jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was to begin his defense in the Istanbul Municipality trial for the first time since his arrest 19 months ago, a court-appointed trustee cut the live broadcast of the Halk TV, one of his staunchest supporters in the media.
Only two of the 53 formally arrested defendants in the Istanbul Municipality trial were released on the case's 75th hearing day, as relatives of those still held broke down in tears in the courtroom.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been behind bars since March 2025, and his co-defendants are increasingly pessimistic about the outcome of the hearings in the Istanbul Municipality trial.
The four-month-long first session of the Istanbul Municipality trial ended on July 8 without the testimony of its main defendant: Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul mayor and ousted CHP administration's presidential candidate, who is accused of being the leader of an alleged criminal organization.
Hundreds of defendants in the Istanbul Municipality trial can collect pensions, easing the financial strain many have suffered since the start of pretrial detentions in March 2025.