Ekrem Imamoglu denies charges that he tried to influence Turkiye’s judiciary in remarks he made about officials.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a leading opposition figure and potential challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has appeared in court to deny charges that he tried to influence the judiciary.

Imamoglu, 53, appeared in Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on Friday to face charges of threatening, insulting and targeting an official and attempting to influence a trial.

“I did not engage in any actions targeting any individual. It is impossible for me to act in such a way. I do not accept the charges against me,” Imamoglu told prosecutors.

The charges were brought over Imamoglu’s criticism of legal cases brought against municipalities run by the opposition, including his own Republican People’s Party (CHP). His testimony related to remarks he made about a chief prosecutor and a court expert.

The case against him is the latest in a series of legal challenges faced by opposition politicians in Turkiye, where rights groups said judicial independence has eroded during Erdogan’s two-decade rule.

Imamoglu has already been convicted of charges of insulting members of Turkiye’s Supreme Electoral Council and faces a political ban if his conviction in 2022 is upheld on appeal. 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 his supporters gathered outside the court on Friday to protest against the legal actions against Imamoglu.

Tensions escalated when riot police blocked a CHP bus from approaching the courthouse. The move led to clashes between the protesters and police, who responded with tear gas. It was not clear if any arrests were made.

Imamoglu later addressed the crowds from the top of the bus at another location.

“Today’s issue is … an issue of seeking rights and justice,” the mayor said. “Unfortunately, today’s issue stems from a conspiracy that is being set up against Istanbul.”

Ankara’s opposition mayor Mansur Yavas, who was there to support Imamoglu, also accused the government of turning Turkiye into an “open prison”.

Turkish authorities regularly target critical journalists, lawyers and elected political representatives with criminal charges, especially since a failed 2016 coup against Erdogan’s government.

“The government is trying to limit the space for opponents, including journalists, and intimidate them with unfair accusations,” Fethi Kocaer, 71, who was in the crowd outside the court, told the AFP news agency. He held a banner reading: “We will fight together.”

“Mayor Imamoglu’s courage and strong stance will help unite us. We will not give up but will step up the fight against injustice.”

Imamoglu was first elected to lead Istanbul in March 2019. His win was a blow to Erdogan’s Justice and Development (AK) Party, which along with predecessor party had controlled Istanbul for a quarter of a century.

The AK Party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million people, alleging irregularities. The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won.

Imamoglu was re-elected mayor of Turkiye’s’s largest city last year.

Turkish authorities have removed a number of elected mayors from the CHP and pro-Kurdish parties in recent years, saying they were linked to “terrorism”-related investigations.

Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkiye director at Human Rights Watch, said on Friday that the practice of removing mayors and appointing government trustees was undermining democracy.

“This is a major assault on the rights of voters to elect their chosen representatives and a violation of the right to free and fair elections,” Sinclair-Webb told the Reuters news agency.

“At a time when the government is talking about resolving the Kurdish conflict, it is dismaying and bewildering to see these crackdown measures continue against democratically elected officials. This practice flies in the face of any positive solution to the conflict,” she added.