Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a leading figure in Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is facing a new prison sentence after being charged with publicly insulting a prosecutor.
The development was reported by Sabah.
Turkish authorities have launched an internal investigation into comments Imamoglu made about Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek on January 20.
Following the inquiry, Istanbul’s Deputy Chief Prosecutor prepared an indictment, demanding that Imamoglu be sentenced to 7 years and 4 months in prison.
The charges include:
Threatening a public official
Publicly insulting a public official in the performance of their duties
Targeting individuals involved in counterterrorism efforts
The indictment has been sent to the Istanbul High Criminal Court, with prosecutors also seeking to ban Imamoglu from political activities.
This is not the first time Turkey’s ruling government has targeted Imamoglu.
In late 2022, he was sentenced to 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison for allegedly insulting the chairman and members of the Supreme Election Council. That ruling also included a ban on political activity, but Imamoglu appealed the decision and remained in office.
As one of Turkey’s most prominent opposition leaders, Imamoglu is seen as a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election. His legal troubles are widely viewed as part of a broader crackdown on political dissent, as Turkey’s government tightens control over opposition figures ahead of future elections.
The case is expected to further escalate tensions between Erdoğan’s ruling party and Turkey’s pro-democracy opposition, with critics arguing that the judiciary is being used to sideline political rivals.
