Istanbul, 9 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - A high-profile trial opens of jailed opposition leader and ousted Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Monday, on charges of founding and leading a criminal organization, as well as bribery and money laundering.

The prosecution is seeking more than 2,000 years in prison. Alongside İmamoğlu, a prominent opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a total of 407 people have been charged, 105 of whom are in pre-trial detention, according to state news agency Anadolu.

The defendants include İmamoğlu's lawyer, his spokesman and journalists, including Ruşen Çakır, one of the country's most prominent critical liberal voices.

Human rights groups slam the trial as politically motivated. İmamoğlu's wife Dilek İmamoğlu sees the trial not only as a personal matter but also an important test for the rule of law in the country, she said in comments to dpa.

İmamoğlu, from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), is the party's presidential candidate and the strongest rival to Erdoğan.

Arrested in March last year on corruption charges and removed from office as mayor of Istanbul, there are several cases pending against him. His university degree, a prerequisite for presidential candidacy, has also been revoked.

MIA file photo