Ekrem Imamoglu sentenced to prison for insult

The deposed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threating an official. The court in Istanbul also free to make Imamoglu from the accusation of making a public prosecutor a target, as the DHA news agency and the state broadcaster reported.

In terms of prison of this length, Turkey usually does not have to be served. Imamoglu had threatened more than seven years in prison and a political ban. The judgment is not yet final. Imamoglu is currently in custody because of other allegations.

The background to the judgment is statements imamoglus after the house of a chairman of the youth organization of Imamoglus party CHP was stormed. Amamoglu had said to the Istanbul chief prosecutor Akin Gürlek that his mind was “rotten”.

The opposition in the country has been exposed to a wave of investigations and procedures since Imamoglus. Dozens of mayors of the largest opposition party CHP were discontinued and arrested. Oppositions see the government’s attempt to bring back lost items in the 2024 local election. The AKP of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan landed for the first time in their history in second place behind the CHP in a nationwide election. The government rejects any influence on the judiciary.

Imamoglu is considered the promising challenger of Erdogan in a future presidential election. The regular next election is planned for 2028. Imamoglu has already been set up as a candidate by his party CHP.

It is not the first judgment against Imamoglu. As early as December 2022, he was sentenced to a political ban and a prison sentence of two years and seven months. To date, however, the decision is not final. A number of other procedures are also underway against him.