Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared in court for the first time since his arrest last month.

"I am here in custody because I won against the man with the idea 'Whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey,'" Imamglu said at the hearing, referring to President Erdogan, who launched his political career as mayor of Turkey's largest city and has used the phrase frequently since.

Imamoglu has been detained on corruption and terrorism charges, but was in the special court at Silivri prison today on a separate case, accused of trying to intimidate Istanbul's chief prosecutor. Turkey's opposition calls the arrest an "attempted coup against our next president," and it sparked the biggest protests against Erdogan in more than a decade.

A large crowd gathered outside the prison in support of the Istanbul mayor. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called on the Turkish authorities to drop the charges and release him immediately. However, the Turkish Government has rejected allegations of political interference, insisting that the judiciary is independent. The 53-year-old mayor was facing two hearings that carry the risk of both imprisonment and a ban from politics. The first case, alleging threats against Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akin Gürlek, was adjourned until June. Gurlek, a former deputy justice minister under Erdogan, has been accused by the opposition of acting as a "mobile guillotine" for the president to attack his opponents in Istanbul.

None of the cases heard today are related to Imamoglu's March 19 arrest on suspicion of running a criminal organization and extortion, but prosecutors are seeking a sentence of up to seven years and four months in prison for Gurlek's case.

Imamoglu also criticised Turkey's state-run TRT television, which he said is funded by citizens' taxes and "should broadcast this hearing instead of broadcasting with lies and slander to discredit me". His wife Dilek attended the hearing along with one of their children and several MPs, the BBC reported. She has played a prominent role in the protests that have gripped Turkey since Imamoglu's arrest.

The protests were marked by some 2,000 arrests. Further rallies are planned in the coming days and weeks. The courts in Istanbul have released or granted bail to 185 people who took part in the demonstrations in Istanbul's Saracane Square.

Two journalists working for pro-opposition newspapers were also released on bail.

One of the newspapers, Cumhuriyet, said their arrests were part of a plan to intimidate the media and critics of the government.

The opposition accused prosecutors of attacking elected officials in an attempt to nullify any opposition voices ahead of national elections.

Turkey's presidential election is scheduled to take place in 2028 | BGNES