Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Istanbul mayor sentenced to prison for insulting public officials

Istanbul mayor sentenced to prison for insulting public officials

The court also imposes a political ban on Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been seen as a potential opponent of President Erdogan in next year’s elections.

A Turkish court has sentenced the mayor of Istanbul to more than two and half years in prison on charges of insulting members of the Supreme Electoral Council.

The court on Wednesday also imposed a political ban on Ekrem Imamoglu, a key opposition politician, which could lead to his removal from office in Turkey’s largest city.

Imamoglu called the sentence “political and unlawful”.

The popular mayor, who belongs to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is seen as a key opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The verdict was issued nearly six months ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections.

A jail sentence or political ban would need to be upheld in appeals courts, potentially extending an outcome to the case beyond the elections, which are due by June.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the court of appeals may uphold the verdict, reverse it or it can decide on an entirely “different verdict”.



“But we expect Ekrem Imamoglu, even though he’s not going to be spending a night in jail, … he will be banned from politics,” Koseoglu said. “It will ban him from joining mayoral elections in 2024 and removing his membership from the main opposition party.”

Critics alleged the mayor’s trial was an attempt to eliminate a key Erdogan opponent ahead of the June presidential election.

“I have been speaking to people from the ruling AK [Justice and Development] Party, and even though they are against Ekrem Imamoglu, … they say this will not serve Erdogan,” Koseoglu said.

“Many argue that the aim is to ban him [Imamoglu] from the elections,” she said.

The US State Department said it was “deeply troubled and disappointed” by the jail sentence.

“This unjust sentence is inconsistent with respect for human rights, with respect to fundamental freedoms and rule of law,” said State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Wednesday.


‘Foolishness’ comment


Imamoglu was elected mayor in March 2019. His win was a blow to Erdogan and his AK Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu won by a wider margin.

Imamoglu was charged with insulting senior public officials after he described cancelling the first mayoral election as an act of “foolishness”. The charge carried a maximum prison sentence of four years.

The mayor denied insulting members of the electoral council, insisting his words were a response to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Soylu called Imamoglu “a fool” and accused him of criticising Turkey during a visit to the European Parliament.

Thousands of the mayor’s supporters protested against the verdict in front of the municipality building.

Supporters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu demonstrate as a Turkish court convenes to announce a verdict in a case against him


Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the CHP, cut short a visit to Germany to return to Turkey and lend his support to Imamoglu.

During the trial, the court heard testimony from Imamoglu’s press officer, Murat Ongun, and another aide who confirmed that the mayor’s words were in response to Soylu.

“Either before or after this event, or even on May 6 when the elections were canceled, I did not hear any negative words from Ekrem Imamoglu concerning the [Supreme Electoral Council] members,” the T24 news website cited Ongun as saying. “All of his statements were made towards political figures.”

But in a video posted on social media, Soylu insisted the mayor’s comments were directed at the council members, who canceled the elections.

The outcome of the 2023 election is seen as hinging on the ability of the CHP and other opposition parties to join forces around a single candidate to challenge Erdogan and the AK Party, which has governed Turkey for two decades.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×