SILIVRI, Türkiye: Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor said Friday that he was “not afraid” as he denounced the legal case against him as part of a broader campaign of “judicial harassment,” accusing the government of weaponizing the judiciary to silence dissent. Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appeared in court on charges of allegedly seeking to influence a fair trial, one of several cases brought against him. Prosecutors called for Imamoglu to face up to four years behind bars in that particular case and be subjected to a political ban.

If our nation slides deeper into autocracy, the consequences will reverberate far beyond Turkey’s borders, says Istanbul’s suspended mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu

SILIVRI, Türkiye: Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor said Friday that he was “not afraid” as he denounced the legal case against him as part of a broader campaign of “judicial…