Yesterday (July 16), imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was sentenced to one year-eight months in prison in the third hearing of a case related to comments made by the mayor in January towards Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.
İmamoğlu had been charged with ‘threatening, insulting, and taking aim’ at Mr Gürlek. A seven year-four month sentence had been requested in the original indictment.
The case was launched after comments made by İmamoğlu at a panel entitled ‘Modern Law and the Politicization of the Judiciary’. In his January comments, İmamoğlu had criticized ongoing raids targeting opposition officials in the Istanbul Municipality such as Beşiktaş district mayor Rıza Akpolat, who had been arrested several weeks prior.
The Istanbul Mayor had been quoted at the panel saying: “We all know that I am your real target. So please, uphold your decision and leave our nation in peace.”
The comments were viewed by prosecutors as a threat towards Akın Gürlek, who has ordered the arrest of numerous opposition officials in recent months.
Tense moments at Wednesday’s hearing
The court convicted İmamoğlu on the charges of ‘insulting’ and ‘threatening’ the Chief Prosecutor, while acquitting him on the ‘taking aim’ charge.
In a statement, İmamoğlu deplored the politicization of Turkey’s judiciary, while drawing attention to other issues facing the country, such as income inequality and inflation.
İmamoğlu also characterized his comments at the January panel not as a threat towards Gürlek, but rather as a critique of Turkey’s democracy.
A tense moment occurred when the chief judge interrupted the Istanbul Mayor during comments regarding Turkey’s economy. İmamoğlu responded saying “If an indictment is being written every 20 seconds, that’s exactly the point,” referring to the rapid pace of new indictments targeting opposition politicians in Turkey.
To this, a prosecutor responded “Do not look at me,” to which the mayor responded “I’m not interested in looking anyway”. İmamoğlu’s lawyer Fikret İlkiz stepped in requesting that the defendant not be interrupted and saying: “Only the defendant can decide who he will talk to.”
In his final remarks, İmamoğlu said: “I am thinking of future generations, not the next election. I continue to fight as a soldier against those who do evil and those who are evil. I stand tall!”
He also addressed DEM Party and Nationalist Action Party (MHP), who are currently involved in a solution process aimed at solving Turkey’s Kurdish issue alongside the ruling Justice & Development Party (AKP): “Separate yourselves from the mindset that sees this process as an opportunity for personal gain. You must take steps to ensure that it continues with transparent, participatory, and inclusive methods.”
İmamoğlu faces litany of cases against him
Wednesday’s hearing was just one of six separate cases against the imprisoned Istanbul Mayor, who was arrested in March, leading to Turkey’s largest protests in 12 years.
A case from early in İmamoğlu’s mayorship accuses him of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) following the controversial decision to rerun Istanbul’s 2019 mayoral election, which İmamoğlu won in an upset of the AKP candidate. A final decision in the case is still pending.
Another case accuses İmamoğlu of interfering in official tender bids during his time serving as district mayor of Beylildüzü, a western suburb of Istanbul. İmamoğlu served in Beylikdüzü from 2014-2019 prior to his election as Istanbul mayor.
An ongoing investigation into opposition-run Istanbul and Ankara municipalities accuses officials in both cities of ‘inappropriate use of funds harming the public good’. The investigation relates to artistic events and concerts organized in both municipalities.
Another case opened in late January stems from comments made by İmamoğlu alleging that prosecutor reports used against him were falsified. The case was notable for having been launched while the mayor was still speaking at the podium during an event in late January.
Finally, a sixth case against İmamoğlu alleges he falsified his university diploma from Istanbul University. İmamoğlu’s diploma was annulled on March 18th, just one day prior to his arrest. The annulling of the mayor’s diploma was seen by many in the Turkish opposition as an attempt to hinder his presidential bid. A university degree is a prerequisite for seeking the presidency in Turkey.
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Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
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