A court in Turkey has sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu (his powers were terminated due to his arrest) to one year and eight months in prison in a case of insults and threats against the city prosecutor, according to the Associated Press, the Turkish edition of Haberturk and other media.
Imamoglu denies all the charges. “I fought against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is really an insult to our nation,” he said in court.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on 19 March 2025 – days before the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) primaries in which he was to be nominated as a presidential candidate for the 2028 elections. Despite his arrest, the CHP nominated Imamoglu as its presidential candidate.
Imamoglu was sent to detention. Turkish authorities accused him of” creating and leading a criminal organisation”,” bribery”,” tender fraud” and “illegally obtaining personal data.” In addition, Imamoglu was accused of “aiding terrorism.” According to the investigation, the politician and three other people are linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist organisation in Turkey. The trial on these charges has not yet begun.
Imamoglu’s arrest sparked mass protests by his supporters. The Republican People’s Party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters have criticised his prosecution as politicised and contrary to the principles of democracy.
Ekrem Imamoglu had served as mayor of Istanbul since 2019. After his arrest, another representative of the opposition Republican People’s Party-Nuri Aslan-was appointed as interim acting mayor.