Turkey's main Erdogan rival Imamoglu in first court appearance since arrest

His wife Dilek attended the hearing along with one of their children and several MPs.

She has played a prominent part in the protests that have swept Turkey since Imamoglu’s arrest, and further rallies are planned for the coming days and weeks.

The protests have been accompanied about 2,000 arrests.

In the past two days, the courts in Istanbul have either released or freed on bail 185 people who took part in demonstrations against the mayor’s detention at Sarachane square in Istanbul.

Two journalists working for pro-opposition newspapers were also released on bail on Friday for investigating the sale of a TV station.

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

The opposition has accused prosecutors of targeting elected officials in a bid to nullify any opposing voices ahead of national elections.

Presidential elections are not due in Turkey until 2028 and without a change to the constitution Erdogan would not be entitled to stand for another term.

However, he could also run if parliament called early elections.