Turkey's Ekrem İmamoğlu Court Hearing and Silivri Mayor Suspension

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, detained for more than a year, appeared at his court hearing in Silivri. During the session, Mustafa Bıyık, mayor of Yomra in Trabzon, entered the courtroom, greeted İmamoğlu and recalled the mayor’s remarks about the highlands of Trabzon and collecting wildflowers, expressing solidarity from the region.

In a separate development, the Interior Ministry announced that Silivri Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu was temporarily removed from office. The suspension follows a prosecutor‑led investigation into alleged organized‑crime activities, bribery and money‑laundering, with a deputy mayor to be selected by the municipal council to assume his duties.