Türkiye: Istanbul Mayor Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison Over Remarks Against Prosecutor

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for insulting the city’s chief prosecutor, Orda.kz reports, citing the Associated Press.

The case stems from remarks İmamoğlu made in January 2025, directed at Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The exact content of the remarks has not been made public.

The court found İmamoğlu guilty of insulting and threatening a public official in the line of duty, while acquitting him of charges related to harassment.

İmamoğlu denied the allegations and maintained that the case is politically motivated:

İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure and the main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested on March 19, 2025, just days before internal voting within the Republican People's Party (CHP), which planned to nominate him as their presidential candidate for the 2028 election.

Despite his arrest, the CHP proceeded with the nomination. In the party’s primary, 15 million Turkish citizens participated — nearly a quarter of the electorate.

İmamoğlu received 13.2 million votes, securing a dominant victory.

In addition to the current conviction, İmamoğlu faces separate charges, including forming a criminal organization, corruption, unauthorized data collection, and alleged links to Kurdish militants. Trials for those cases have not yet begun.

His arrest has triggered mass protests and clashes with police in Istanbul and other major cities. Demonstrators argue that the charges are politically driven and meant to derail his presidential ambitions.

Although hundreds of protestors have been detained, public demonstrations in support of İmamoğlu continue across Türkiye.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova