Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on trial for corruption charges

The imprisoned mayor of Istanbul has appeared in court as the central defendant in a mass corruption trial that his opposition party and rights groups say is politically motivated. Ekrem Imamoglu, 55, faces more than 140 charges including corruption and running a criminal organisation. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of up to 2,430 years. He and his Republican People's Party (CHP) deny any wrongdoing. They accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his allies of launching a crackdown over the leader's decline in popularity. Prior to the trial, which got off to a chaotic start on Monday, Imamoglu was widely seen as one of the few politicians capable of defeating Erdogan, who has been at the top of Turkish politics since 2003. Another 407 of Imamoglu's supporters have also been put on trial, accused of running a criminal corruption network headed by the opposition figure, who prosecutors describe as its "founder and leader". Imamoglu was greeted by his supporters with cheers and whistles as he entered the courtroom in the Marmara prison on Monday. But it was not long before proceedings were brought to a halt by the judge after the politician contested the judge's decision