Trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu puts democracy in the dock

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of Istanbul, has gone on trial with more than 400 defendants accused of a sprawling corruption scheme. Rights groups say that the charges, which carry a sentence of up to 2,430 years, are politically motivated. İmamoğlu was detained shortly after being chosen as the main opposition party’s candidate for the 2028 Turkish elections. He was seen as one of the few people able to beat Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and has already been in prison for nearly a year. İmamoğlu has described the trial as “one of the toughest tests of democracy” in the country’s history. It will compete for attention with spillover from the war in Iran. Ankara said yesterday that a ballistic missile from the country was intercepted by Nato.